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Retrieval of a retrograde catheter using suction, in patients who cannot open their mouths
P Bhattacharya1, B K Biswas, S Baniwal
1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan-18, Nepal.
Abstract:
In difficulty, tracheal intubation can be facilitated by passing a retrograde catheter, but the mouth has to be opened for the retrieval of the catheter from the pharynx. Two patients with ankylosis of a temporomandibular joint were unable to open their mouth, and required general anaesthesia for gap arthroplasty. Because we did not have a flexible fibreoptic laryngoscope, we used a suction catheter to retrieve an epidural catheter from the pharyngeal cavity, which had been passed retrogradely from a cricothyroid puncture. Catheter-guided tracheal intubation was done without complication. A suction catheter can assist retrograde retrieval of a catheter to aid intubation in patients who cannot open the mouth.
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