Retrograde nasal intubation via the cleft in Pierre-Robin Sequence neonates: a case series

Pierre-Robin Sequence, the triad of glossoptosis, micrognathia and cleft palate, provides a challenge in airway management both in and out of the operating room. Transnasal intubation is greatly preferred during its surgical intervention for maximum oral exposure in these very small patients without the added encumbrance of an oral endotracheal tube. From 2001 to 2009, three neonates with Pierre-Robin Sequence who underwent surgery to improve their airway had a novel method of securing a transnasal airway performed in the operating theater. After successful placement of a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and subsequent endotracheal intubation via the LMA, this technique was used to convert from an oral to a nasal intubation. After the LMA is removed, a smaller endotracheal tube is placed into the nose and out of the mouth via the cleft in each of these patients. This smaller tube is then telescoped into the larger one and secured with suture. Both tubes are subsequently backed out of the nose in a retrograde fashion and disarticulated so that the now transnasal endotracheal tube can be re-connected to the anesthesia circuit. This case series highlights a rapid technique utilizing the patient's congenital defect for securing a transnasal airway alternative to that of transnasal fiberoptic intubation in Pierre-Robin Sequence neonates.