[Airway management in sedated patients]

The decrease in airway muscular tone seen during natural sleep and sedation, as well as in the supine position, can lead to anatomic changes in the structures that surround the airway. Some patients need sedation for diagnostic or interventional procedures. In these patients, knowledge about morphological and mechanical aspects of the soft-tissue structures is essential for a complete understanding of the changes that occur in upper airway caliper. Maintaining the patency of the upper airway during spontaneous breathing in sedated or anesthetized patients may become a major challenge for anesthetists, especially in patients with preexisting sleep disordered breathing or airway obstruction. In addition to different techniques of body positioning, simple airway maneuvers, such as chin lifting can maintain airway patency or open an obstructed upper airway. These maneuvers need an age-related evaluation and application.