Awake intubating laryngeal mask airway placement in a morbidly obese patient with ankylosing spondylitis and unstable thoracic spine.
Intubating laryngeal mask airways can be used to provide continuous ventilation throughout intubation. This is a case of a morbidly obese (body mass index = 58) 65-year-old woman with T10 and T11 compression fractures. Optimal positioning for airway management was hindered by her unstable spine, minimal neck range of motion, and extreme pain with any movement. An intubating laryngeal mask airway was placed in the awake, topically anesthetized patient, and the laryngeal mask airway and endotracheal tube combination was left in place throughout surgery.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Abbey G
AG
Herman
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. Electronic address: michael.mahla@jefferson.edu.
Michael E
ME
Mahla
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000150:complications*; D014851:Wakefulness
Awake intubation; Laryngeal mask; Morbidly obese; Unstable spine