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Endotracheal intubation under local anesthesia and sedation in an infant with difficult airway
1Department of Anesthesiology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Insights
Managing a difficult infant airway is challenging. This case report details successful endotracheal intubation in an infant with a large nasopharyngeal mass using sedation and local anesthesia, avoiding general anesthesia.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
Background:
- Infant airway management presents unique challenges for anesthesiologists.
- Nasopharyngeal masses can significantly obstruct the airway, complicating procedures.
Observation:
- A 10-month-old infant presented with a rapidly enlarging nasopharyngeal mass protruding through a cleft palate into the oropharynx.
- The infant required surgical excision of the mass under general anesthesia.
Findings:
- Successful endotracheal intubation was achieved using sedation and local anesthesia.
- This approach facilitated the planned surgical intervention for the nasopharyngeal mass.
Implications:
- This case highlights a viable alternative to general anesthesia for intubation in select pediatric airway emergencies.
- It offers a potential strategy for managing difficult pediatric airways caused by congenital masses.
- This method may reduce anesthetic risks in infants with significant airway obstruction.
Abstract:
Management of the difficult airway in an infant is a challenge for the anesthesiologist. A 10-month-old infant presented to an otolaryngologist with nasopharyngeal mass since birth, which had increased rapidly in size in the last 1 month and was hanging through the cleft palate into the oropharynx. The infant was scheduled for excision of the nasopharyngeal mass through a maxillary approach and the tongue mass through an oral approach under general anesthesia. This case report describes endotracheal intubation performed successfully under sedation and local anesthesia in an infant with a nasal mass protruding through the cleft palate into the oropharynx.
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