[Our experience with pulsed oxygen and general anesthesia in direct suspension laryngoscopy]

The authors describe a group of 77 direct suspension laryngoscopies in which general anaesthesia and oxygen therapy were used. The technique is described in considerable detail. The catheter used is independent of the laryngoscope and is passed into the nasal cavity. Analysis of the gases in the blood of 15 patients showed that after three minutes of apnea, ventilation was still satsifactory. No pneumothorax occured during this type of anaesthesia. For the O.-R.-L. practitioner using the method, the advantages are as follows: induction anaesthesia is quicker than after neuroleptanalgesia, exposure of the larynx is excellent due to curarization and three endoscopies can be carried out in the same operation: laryngoscopy, oesophagoscopy and bronchoscopy. The disadvantage of general anaesthesia is that it makes it impossible to judge the mobility of the larynx. In 7,8 p. 100 of the cases, direct suspension laryngoscopy proved difficult or impossible to carry out fir anatomical reasons.