Fibre optic guided nasal intubation--shouldn't we be the experts?

Difficult intubations are more common in otolaryngological practice than any other branch of medicine or surgery. The majority of these are predictable. It is the unexpected intubational failure, usually in a patient undergoing treatment for an unrelated problem, that results in tragedy. In this paper the indications for fibre optic guided intubation are discussed, and the technique described and illustrated in a case of pharyngeal obstruction secondary to an epiglottic cyst. It is suggested that our expertise to operate within the upper airway should be exploited to the advantage of our patients, and of our anaesthetic and surgical colleagues.