• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 2013

We experienced dfficult airway management in a patient who had Ludwig angina with morbid obesity, dfficulty with mouth opening and neck extension. We planned to perform awake-nasotracheal intubation with fiberoptic bronchoscopy but the patient's condition was not suitable to do this procedure. Thus, we tried fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation under general anesthesia but we experienced difficult airway management due to epistaxis. We tried to use video laryngoscope instead of fiberpotic bronchoscopy but also failed to guide the tube into trachea due to limited mouth opening. We used video laryngoscope to make a view of vocal cord and used fiberoptic bronchoscope as an intubation guide of endotrachedal tube and successfully intubated the patient.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2024

Numerous neoplastic lesions can arise in the orofacial region in the pediatric populations. Odontogenic tumors typically affect the mandible more than the maxilla. Airway management can be challenging in pediatric oral tumors because of the distorted anatomy and physiological variations. Conventional awake fiberoptic intubation is not always possible owing to limited cooperation from the pediatric populations. Herein, we report the case of a 1-year-old child with odontogenic myxoma of the mandible and an anticipated difficult airway. Given the expected difficulties in the airway, video laryngoscope-assisted orotracheal intubation under general anesthesia with maintenance of spontaneous breathing was scheduled. Proper planning and thorough examinations are vital for successful airway management in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.307-312
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• 2019

Klippel-Feil syndrome is characterized by congenital fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae, a low hair line at the back of the head, restricted neck mobility, and other congenital anomalies. We report a 16-year-old young man with Klippel-Feil syndrome, Sprengel deformity of the right scapula, thoracic kyphoscoliosis, and mandibular prognathism with an anterior open bite. He was treated with orthodontic treatment and maxillofacial surgery. An anticipated difficult airway due to a short neck with restricted neck movements and extrinsic restrictive lung disease due to severe thoracic kyphoscoliosis increased his anesthesia risk. Due to his deviated nasal septum and contralateral inferior turbinate hypertrophy, we chose awake fiber optic orotracheal intubation followed by submental intubation. Considering the cervical vertebral fusion, he was carefully positioned during surgery to avoid potential spinal injury. He recovered well and his postoperative course was uneventful.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.172-176
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• 2011

For dental treatment of children with severe dental phobia, sedation or general anesthesia is usually selected for enhancement of cooperation. But in the case of mouth opening limitation due to temporomandibular disorders, general anesthesia administration is a challenge for anesthesiologist. Because airway management failure was concerned, awake fibroscopic intubation is selected first. But, skillful fibroscopic intubation is not easy in case of uncooprative children patients. In this report, we present two cases of pediatric patients with mouth opening limitation. In the first case, the patient was 52 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.2 cm, and in the second case the patient was 38 months old and the maximum opening distance was 1.5 cm. Both patients showed severe dental phobia. After sevoflurane inhalation without any intravenous drug, we successfully performed intubation using a fibroscope.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.157-160
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• 2006

Nasotracheal intubation is performed routinely in maxillofacial surgery to optimize visualization of the surgical field. The CaldwellLuc operation is an approach to the maxillary sinus through the labiogingival sulcus and canine fossa. The operation is used to treat chronic maxillary sinusitis, and involves curettage of the mucosa of the maxillary sinus and the creation of an inferior meatal antrostomy. After the operation, a nasal Foley catheter is inserted into the inferior nasal meatus for the discharge of blood and tissue fluid. Then, the nostril is packed with vaseline gauze. Before the patients awaken, they experience impaired switching from nasal to oral breathing. Pulmonary edema can result from excessive negative intrathoracic pressure caused by acute airway obstruction in patients breathing spontaneously. During anesthesia and sedation, airway obstruction can occur at the levels of the pharynx and larynx. Even in patients who are awake, alteration in the ability to change the breathing route from nasal to oral may affect breathing in the presence of an airway obstruction, causing this catastrophic event. We experienced a case in which acute pulmonary edema resulted from acute airway obstruction triggered by the patient's inability to switch the breathing route from nasal to oral during emergence from anesthesia.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.8 s.265
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• pp.598-603
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• 2006

Background: High thoracic epidural anesthesia allows awake coronary artery bypass grafting, avoiding the drawbacks of mechanical ventilation and general anesthesia. Materian and Method: From April, 2005 to September, 2005, 12 patients were underwent awake coronary artery bypass grafting using high thoracic epidural anesthesia. There were 1 female and 11 male patients, with a mean age of $66{\pm}6$ years. Off pump coronary artery. bypass grafting was performed through a median sternotomy using arterial grafts. Result: There were no mortality. Pneumothorax was developed during surgery in 8 patients. Five patients required secondary intubation because of pneumothorax (n=3), bowel herniation (n=1), and hemothorax after chest tube insertion (n=1). Postoperative coronary angiography was performed before discharge in all patients and all the grafts were patent. Conclusion: Our intial experience demonstrated the feasibility of awake off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Further study is required to define the indications, advantages and limitations of this strategy.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.183-187
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• 2018

Complex cervical spine fractures are a serious complications of maxillofacial trauma and associated with high mortality and neurological morbidity. Strict vigilance in preventing further insult to the cervical spine is a crucial step in managing patients who are at risk for neurologic compromise. We report a rare case of a right transverse process of atlas fracture with right-sided vertebral artery injury that was associated with a comminuted fracture of the body and angle of the mandible, which restricted mouth opening. Airway management was performed by an awake fiber-optic nasotracheal intubation, where neck movement was avoided with a cervical collar. Vertebral artery injuries may have disastrous consequences, such as basilar territory infarction and death, and should be suspected in patients with head and neck trauma. After mandibular plating, the patient was on cervical collar immobilization for 12 weeks and anti-coagulant therapy.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.531-537
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• 2022

Wide-awake, local anesthesia, no tourniquet (WALANT) is a technique that removes the requirement for operations to be performed with a tourniquet, general/regional anesthesia, sedation or an anesthetist. We reviewed the WALANT literature with respect to the diverse indications and impact of WALANT to discuss the importance of future surgical curriculum integration. With appropriate patient selection, WALANT may be used effectively in upper and lower limb surgery; it is also a useful option for patients who are unsuitable for general/regional anesthesia. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of WALANT in more complex operations in both upper and lower limb surgery. WALANT is a safe, effective, and simple technique associated with equivalent or superior patient pain scores among other numerous clinical and cost benefits. Cost benefits derive from reduced requirements for theater/anesthetic personnel, space, equipment, time, and inpatient stay. The lack of a requirement for general anesthesia reduces aerosol generating procedures, for example, intubation/high-flow oxygen, hence patients and staff also benefit from the reduced potential for infection transmission. WALANT provides a relatively, but not entirely, bloodless surgical field. Training requirements include the surgical indications, volume calculations, infiltration technique, appropriate perioperative patient/team member communication, and specifics of each operation that need to be considered, for example, checking of active tendon glide versus venting of flexor tendon pulleys. WALANT offers significant clinical, economic, and operative safety advantages when compared with general/regional anesthesia. Key challenges include careful patient selection and the comprehensive training of future surgeons to perform the technique safely.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.96-98
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• 2014

Injection laryngoplasty is simple and useful procedure in patient with vocal cord paralysis even under local anesthesia. For approaching vocal cord level, flexibility of neck mobility is required to operate injection laryngoplasty but it is relatively difficult to approach vocal cord in patient who has cervical fixations. Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) can be helpful:We use a LMA (I-gel$^{TM}$) during intubation without neck extension on flat supine position under general anesthesia and have a good operation filed. LMA with swivel connector give surgeons better surgical vision and make insertion of fibroscope easily during operation. Hyaluronic acid injection was done use needle (25 G, 5 cm) via percutaneous cricothyroid space : This procedure can be useful method for patients who suffer from not only weak voice but also dysphagia and aspiration high vagal palsy patient after spine surgery or uncooperative with awake injection laryngoplasty.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.146-152
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• 2024

Objectives: This prospective observational study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of perioperative airway and ventilatory management in patients undergoing surgery for oral cavity cancer. The study described the frequencies and types of procedures for securing the airway and the duration and types of postoperative ventilatory support. We compared the findings with those of the TRACHY study. Patients and Methods: One hundred patients undergoing oral cavity oncological surgeries were included. Airway assessment included inter-incisor gap, Mallampati class, neck movements, and radiological features. Surgical parameters, postoperative ventilatory support, and complications were documented. Results: The buccal mucosa was the most common cancer site (48.0%), and direct laryngoscopy was deemed difficult in 58.0% of patients. Awake fibreoptic intubation or elective tracheostomy was required in 43.0% of cases. Thirty-three patients were extubated on the table, and 34 patients were successfully managed with a delayed extubation strategy. In comparison with the TRACHY study, variations were observed in demographic parameters, tumour characteristics, and surgical interventions. Our mean TRACHY score was 1.38, and only five patients had a score ≥4. Prophylactic tracheostomy was performed in 2.0% of cases, in contrast to the TRACHY study in which 42.0% of patients underwent the procedure. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the challenges in airway management for oral cavity cancer surgery. While prophylactic tracheostomy may be necessary in specific cases, individualized approaches, including delayed extubation, are preferrable to maximize safety. Our findings contribute to better understanding and managing perioperative challenges in oral cancer patients and highlight the need for personalized strategies. Scoring systems like TRACHY should not be accepted as universally applicable.