title: Upside-down mask ventilation technique for a patient with a long and narrow mandible.
abstract: Mask ventilation, along with tracheal intubation, is one of the most basic skills for managing an airway during anesthesia. Facial anomalies are a common cause of difficult mask ventilation, although numerous other factors have been reported. The long and narrow mandible is a commonly encountered mandibular anomaly. In patients with a long and narrow mandible, the gaps between the corners of the mouth and the lower corners of the mask are likely to prevent an adequate seal and a gas leak may occur. When we administer general anesthesia for these patients, we sometimes try to seal the airway using several sizes and shapes of commercially available face masks. We have found that the management of the airway for patients with certain facial anomalies may be accomplished by attaching a mask upside down.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Unit of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sanuki
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tachi
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiriishi
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mishima
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okayasu
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ayuse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D008397:Masks; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000601:surgery; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014095:Tooth, Impacted / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Airway management; Facemask; Ventilation