Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 1997
Case ReportsManagement of the difficult airway. A case of failed fiberoptic intubation.
Fiberoptic intubation is the current gold standard for the management of difficult intubation. Nevertheless, in rare circumstances even fiberoptic intubation fails. ⋯ This case illustrates that even awake fiberoptic intubation has its failure rate, due to inability to visualize the larynx, inability to advance the tube over the fiberscope (as in the present case), or inability to direct the tube towards the larynx. Due to the extreme deviation of the larynx other established techniques for difficult intubation were not deemed appropriate in this case. Therefore, weighing the risks and benefits, a decision was made to perform a tracheotomy under local anaesthesia.