Direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in the prone position following traumatic thoracic spine injury

Prone Position Airway Management of a Child following Penetrating Trauma to the Back

Traumatic penetrating injuries to the back are uncommon in children. This type of injury presents many considerations for airway management to the anesthesiologist, including having to secure the airway in a prone position. Although there have been several reports about intubation in the prone position for adult patients in emergency conditions, such studies on pediatric patients are rare. We present the case of a male child with an impaled steel shaft connected to a toy car wheel in his lower back, requiring an emergent operation under general anesthesia. Due to resource limitations, the patient was intubated using an adult-sized video laryngoscope in the prone position. The patient remained stable during the operation and was discharged without complications. A postoperative discussion was held later to review the case and gain insights from the rest of the anesthesiology team. Prone intubation in pediatric patients can be safely accomplished using various techniques, depending on the urgency of the need, the availability of resources, and the knowledge and skills of the provider. The authors hope that their colleagues can learn from sharing this experience.

A comparison of face-to-face endotracheal intubation and standard intubation using Airtraq video laryngoscope in morbidly obese patients: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Routine endotracheal intubation requires a patient in supine position with an operator standing behind the patient's head. In case of a morbidly obese patient positioned in the recommended semi-recumbent position, an alternative method can be considered. Face-to-face intubation can be used both in patients in sitting as well as in prone position and when there is difficult access to the head. Evaluation of effectiveness and safety of face-to-face intubation in morbidly obese adult patients with body mass index over 40 kg m-2.

METHODS

The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee and written informed consent from patients was obtained. We conducted a parallel randomized controlled trial with patients scheduled for elective sleeve gastrectomy. The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials with a number NCT04959149. Randomization and allocation to trial groups were carried out using the envelope method. The primary outcomes were the time of intubation and the first pass success of endotracheal intubation.

RESULTS

76 patients (routine intubation n = 36, face-to-face intubation n = 40) were included in the study with no dropouts. The intubation success rates were 82.5% versus 100%, mean intubation time was 17.1 ± 18 seconds versus 29 ± 11 seconds and the need for additional maneuvers (backward, upward, rightward pressure or flexing the neck) was 15% versus 19.5%, in face-to-face and routine intubation, respectively. No injuries to teeth or mucosa have been reported. There were no incidents of desaturation below 92% or other complications associated with intubation.

CONCLUSION

Face-to-face intubation is shorter than the routine intubation in obese patients. This method may be an alternative to standard intubation in case of airway management in morbidly obese patients in semi-erect position; however, it requires both training and practice.

A Comparison of a Standard Macintosh Blade Laryngoscope, Pentax-AWS Videolaryngoscope and Intubrite Videolaryngoscope for Tracheal Intubation in Manikins in Sitting and Prone Positions: A Randomized Cross-Over Study

Background: Intubation of a patient in different positions may be done not only in emergency settings, but also in routine anesthesia (e.g., prone position for lumbar spine surgery). Methods: The aim of the study was to compare the classic Macintosh blade laryngoscope with two videolaryngoscopes: the Pentax-AWS and the Intubrite in a simulated scenario of a manikin placed in a sitting and prone position. Additionally, intubation with the use of all three devices was performed in a standard supine position as the control group. The time of intubation and the pressure exerted on the tongue was assessed. The ANOVA Friedman (analysis of variance) and Wilcoxon with Bonferroni correction tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The time of intubation in a prone position was significantly shorter for the Pentax-AWS videolaryngoscope compared to the Macintosh and the Intubrite. There were no significant differences in the obtained results of the evaluated devices in sitting and standard positions. The lowest pressure exerted on the tongue was with the Pentax-AWS, followed by the Intubrite and the Macintosh laryngoscopes. Conclusions: The use of the Pentax-AWS was associated with faster tracheal intubation, creating lower pressure on tongue when compared with standard Macintosh and Intubrite laryngoscopes in both prone and sitting positions.

Should we induce general anesthesia in the prone position?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

For patients requiring surgery in the prone position, an alternative to a traditional supine induction is allowing the patient to position themselves comfortably prone and inducing anesthesia in that position. The purpose of this review is to examine the current literature and evaluate the safety of induction of anesthesia in the prone position.

RECENT FINDINGS

The first randomized trial comparing induction in the supine vs. prone position for patients requiring spinal surgery was published earlier this year and reported a time-saving benefit. Multiple case series report the feasibility of this approach; however, the potential benefits of prone induction, namely a reduction in pressure injuries and avoidance of complications of the turn itself, remain unproven. Increased familiarity with prone insertion of supraglottic airways is a useful tool in case of accidental intraoperative extubation in a patient who is already prone. Potential disadvantages include loss of the airway during induction, reduced ability to manage adverse hemodynamic consequences of induction and restriction to use of a supraglottic airway.

SUMMARY

The reviewed literature shows that elective prone induction of anesthesia using supraglottic airways, in select patients, is feasible and associated with very low complication rates; however, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that this should be done routinely.

Routine intubation in the prone position

BACKGROUND

Tracheal intubation in the prone position has previously been reported only as a necessity in a very few emergency situations. It emerged at our clinic as a routine after invention of a test aimed at pinpointing a painful motion segment in patients with chronic low back pain who were candidates for lumbar fusion operation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

During a 6-year period 247 consecutive patients were treated at our clinic, 91 men and 156 women, mean age 42.8 years, range 25.3-62.8. Classification of the pharyngeal structures according to Mallampati et al. was done the day before surgery, and grading of visualization of the glottis as described by Cormack and Lehane was done during intubation, with the aim of revealing factors of importance for the possibility of performing tracheal intubation in the prone position.

RESULTS

The large majority of patients classified preoperatively as Mallampati class 1 had Cormack and Lehane grade 1 at laryngoscopy, although some patients had grades 2, 3, and 4. Most problems with intubation in the prone position were anticipated among those classified preoperatively as Mallampati class 3, but tracheal intubation in the prone position was still possible in 21 of the 23 patients in this group. In all, tracheal intubation in the prone position was successful in 244 of the 247 patients (98.8%).

CONCLUSION

Routine tracheal intubation in the prone position can be performed effectively by experienced anaesthesiologists, but this requires continuous training and good support from the anaesthesiology staff.

Intraspinal penetrating stab injury to the middle thoracic spinal cord with no neurologic deficit

The annual incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury worldwide is estimated to be 35 patients per million. Nonmissile penetrating spinal injuries most commonly occur in the thoracic region, and the majority has neurologic deficits on admission. The management of patients who lack neurologic deficits is controversial due to the risk of neurologic status alteration intraoperatively. However, failure to intervene increases the risk of infection, delayed onset of neurologic deficits, and worsening functional outcome.A 17-year-old boy presented with an intradural T7-T8 knife penetration injury to the spinal cord with no neurologic deficit. Rapid surgical intervention was critical because the knife was lodged between the 2 hemispheres of the spinal cord. The patient was intubated in the lateral position, transferred to the prone position on a Jackson table, and underwent surgical decompression with laminectomy 1 level above and below the injury site, removal of the knife blade in the original path of trajectory, and repair of the dural tear with a collagen matrix. The patient sustained no neurologic sequelae from the penetrating knife injury. He was able to ambulate at discharge and had no complications. To our knowledge, this is the only report of a patient with intradural spinal cord penetration by a foreign object (knife blade) presenting with a normal neurologic preoperative examination that persisted throughout the course of postoperative care.

Tracheal intubation in the prone position with an intubating laryngeal mask airway following posterior spine impaled knife injury

A prone position is not a standard position for anesthesia induction and associated with problems like difficult mask fit, impairment of orotracheal intubation by direct laryngoscopy, and reduction of pulmonary compliance. However anesthetic management of trauma victims presenting with penetrating posterior lumbar spine injury requires airway securement and induction of anesthesia in the prone position to avoid further neurological impairment. We herein present the first reported case of an adult trauma patient presented with an impaled knife protruding out of lower back, who underwent endotracheal intubation with an intubating laryngeal mask airway under general anesthesia in the prone position. Our experience indicates that this technique would be easier and less risky compared to direct laryngoscopy or awake fiber optic intubation and might be considered in an emergency situation.

Management of difficult airway in penetrating cervical spine injury

Management of airway in trauma victim with penetrating cervical/thoracic spine injury has always been a challenge to the anaesthesiologist. Stabilisation of spine during airway manipulation, to prevent any further neural damage, is of obvious concern to the anaesthesiologist. Most anaesthesiologists are not exposed to direct laryngoscopy and intubation in lateral position during their training period. Tracheal intubation in the lateral position may be unavoidable in some circumstances. Difficult airway in an uncooperative patient compounds the problem to secure airway in lateral position. We present a 46-year-old alcoholic, hypertensive, morbidly obese person who suffered a sharp instrument (screwdriver) spinal injury with anticipated difficult intubation; the case was managed successfully.