Difficult laryngoscopy made easy with a "BURP"

Displacement of the larynx by backward, upward and rightward pressure on the thyroid cartilage or "BURP" may improve visualization of the glottis in some cases of difficult direct laryngoscopy. In a patient with the Treacher-Collins syndrome in whom conventional laryngoscopy had proved impossible and tracheal intubation extremely difficult, this manoeuvre exposed the entire glottis and made tracheal intubation under direct vision easy. In a patient with protruding upper incisors and a prominent premaxilla which precluded a view of the glottis by conventional laryngoscopy, "BURP" again revealed the glottic opening and simplified the placement of an endotracheal tube. This experience suggests that "BURP" be considered as a potential aid in the management of difficult direct laryngoscopy.