• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.297-305
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• 2017

Background: Fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation (FNI) is performed if it is difficult to open the mouth or if intubation using laryngoscope is expected to be difficult. However, training is necessary because intubation performed by inexperienced operators leads to complications. Methods: Every resident performed intubation in 40 patients. Success of FNI was evaluated as the time of FNI. First intubation time was restricted to 2 min 30 s. If the second attempt was unsuccessful, it was considered a failed case, and a specialist performed nasotracheal intubation. If the general method of intubation was expected to be difficult, awake intubation was performed. The degree of nasal bleeding during intubation was also evaluated. Results: The mean age of the operators (11 men, 7 women) was 27.8 years. FNI was performed in a total of 716 patients. The success rate was 88.3% for the first attempt and 94.6% for the second attempt. The failure rate of intubation in anesthetized patients was 4.9%, and 13.6% in awake patients. When intubation was performed in anesthetized patients, the failure rate from the first to fifth trial was 9.6%, which decreased to 0.7% when the number of trials increased to > 30 times. In terms of awake intubation, there was no failed attempt when the resident had performed the FNI > 30 times. The number of FNIs performed and nasal bleeding were important factors influencing the failure rate. Conclusion: The success rate of FNI increased as the number of FNI performed by residents increased despite the nasal bleeding.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.307-312
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• 2017

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the optimal depth of nasotracheal tube placement. Methods: We enrolled 110 patients scheduled to undergo oral and maxillofacial surgery, requiring nasotracheal intubation. After intubation, the depth of tube insertion was measured. The neck circumference and distances from nares to tragus, tragus to angle of the mandible, and angle of the mandible to sternal notch were measured. To estimate optimal tube depth, correlation and regression analyses were performed using clinical and anthropometric parameters. Results: The mean tube depth was $28.9{\pm}1.3cm$ in men (n = 62), and $26.6{\pm}1.5cm$ in women (n = 48). Tube depth significantly correlated with height (r = 0.735, P < 0.001). Distances from nares to tragus, tragus to angle of the mandible, and angle of the mandible to sternal notch correlated with depth of the endotracheal tube (r = 0.363, r = 0.362, and r = 0.546, P < 0.05). The tube depth also correlated with the sum of these distances (r = 0.646, P < 0.001). We devised the following formula for estimating tube depth: $19.856+0.267{\times}sum$ of the three distances ($R^2=0.432$, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The optimal tube depth for nasotracheally intubated adult patients correlated with height and sum of the distances from nares to tragus, tragus to angle of the mandible, and angle of the mandible to sternal notch. The proposed equation would be a useful guide to determine optimal nasotracheal tube placement.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.281-287
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• 2017

Background: Various techniques have been introduced to decrease complications during nasotracheal intubation. A common practice is to use nasal packing with a cotton stick and 0.01% epinephrine jelly. However, this procedure can be painful to patients and can damage the nasal mucosa. Xylometazoline spray can induce effective vasoconstriction of the nasal mucosa without direct nasal trauma. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of these two methods. Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 40 each): xylometazoline spray group or epinephrine packing group. After the induction of general anesthesia, patients allocated to the xylometazoline spray group were treated with xylometazoline spray to induce nasal cavity mucosa vasoconstriction, and the epinephrine packing group was treated with nasal packing with two cotton sticks and 0.01% epinephrine jelly. The number of attempts to insert the endotracheal tube into the nasopharynx, the degree of difficulty during insertion, and bleeding during bronchoscopy were recorded. An anesthesiologist, blinded to the intubation method, estimated the severity of epistaxis 5 min after intubation and postoperative complications. Results: No significant intergroup difference was observed in navigability (P = 0.465). The xylometazoline spray group showed significantly less epistaxis during intubation (P = 0.02). However, no differences were observed in epistaxis 5 min after intubation or postoperative epistaxis (P = 0.201). No inter-group differences were observed in complications related to nasal intubation and nasal pain. Conclusion: Xylometazoline spray is a good alternative to nasal packing for nasal preparation before nasotracheal intubation.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.309-312
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• 2016

Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) must undergo corrective surgeries during infancy and early childhood. Many patients with CLP undergo orthognathic surgery during their childhood for correction of skeletal asymmetries or pharyngoplasty with a pharyngeal flap to improve the quality of speech and velopharyngeal function. During orthognathic surgeries, nasotracheal intubation is performed under general anesthesia. In our case report, the patient had undergone palatoplasty and pharygoplasty previously. During the orthognathic surgery, a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope-guided nasotracheal tube was inserted through the pharyngeal flap ostium; however, active bleeding occurred in the nasopharynx. Bleeding occurred because the flap was torn. After achieving hemostasis, the surgery was completed successfully. Thus, if a patient may show the potential for velopharyngeal port obstruction, nasotracheal intubation should be performed with utmost care.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.301-304
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• 2018

Awake fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation is a useful technique, especially in patients with airway obstruction. It must not only provide sufficient anesthesia, but also maintain spontaneous breathing. We introduce a method to achieve this using a small dose of fentanyl and midazolam in combination with topical anesthesia. The cases of 2 patients (1 male, 1 female) who underwent oral maxillofacial surgery are reported. They received $50{\mu}g$ of fentanyl 2-3 times (total $2.2-2.3{\mu}g/kg$) at intervals of approximately 2 min. Oxygen was administered via a mask at 6 L/min, and 0.5 mg of midazolam was administered 1-4 times (total 0.02-0.05 mg/kg) at intervals of approximately 2 min. A tracheal tube was inserted through the nasal cavity after topical anesthesia was applied to the epiglottis, vocal cords, and into the trachea through the fiberscope channel. All patients were successfully intubated. This is a useful and safe method for awake fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.81-90
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• 2024

Nasotracheal intubation (NTI) plays an important role in pediatric airway management, offering advantages in specific situations, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery and situations requiring stable tube positioning. However, compared to adults, NTI in children presents unique challenges owing to anatomical differences and limited space. This limited space, in combination with a large tongue and short mandible, along with large tonsils and adenoids, can complicate intubation. Owing to the short tracheal length in pediatric patients, it is crucial to place the tube at the correct depth to prevent it from being displaced due to neck movements, and causing injury to the glottis. The equipment used for NTI includes different tube types, direct laryngoscopy vs. video laryngoscopy, and fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Considering pediatric anatomy, the advantages of video laryngoscopy have been questioned. Studies comparing different techniques have provided insights into their efficacy. Determining the appropriate size and depth of nasotracheal tubes for pediatric patients remains a challenge. Various formulas based on age, weight, and height have been explored, including the recommendation of depth-mark-based NTI. This review provides a comprehensive overview of NTI in pediatric patients, including the relevant anatomy, equipment, clinical judgment, and possible complications.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.221-227
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• 2015

Background: Endotracheal intubation induces clinically adverse cardiovascular changes. Various pharmacological strategies for controlling these responses have been suggested with opioids being widely administered. In this study, the optimal effect-site concentration (Ce) of remifentanil for minimizing hemodynamic responses to fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation was evaluated. Methods: Thirty patients, aged 18-63 years, scheduled for elective surgery were included. Anesthesia was induced with a propofol and remifentanil infusion via target-controlled infusion (TCI). Remifentanil infusion was initiated at 3.0 ng/mL, and the response of each patient determined the Ce of remifentanil for the next patient by the Dixon up-and-down method at an interval of 0.5 ng/mL. Rocuronium was administered after propofol and remifentanil reached their preset Ce; 90 seconds later fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation was initiated. Non-invasive blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were measured at pre-induction, the time Ce was reached, immediately before and after intubation, and at 1 and 3 minutes after intubation. The up-and-down criteria comprised a 20% change in mean blood pressure and HR between just prior to intubation and 1 minute after intubation. Results: The median effective effect-site concentration ($EC_{50}$) of remifentanil was $3.11{\pm}0.38ng/mL$ by the Dixon's up-and-down method. From the probit analysis, the $EC_{50}$ of remifentanil was 3.43 ng/mL (95% confidence interval, 2.90-4.06 ng/mL). In PAVA, the EC50 and EC95 of remifentanil were 3.57 ng/mL (95% CI, 2.95-3.89) and 4.35 ng/mL (95% CI, 3.93-4.45). No remifentanil-related complications were observed. Conclusions: The $EC_{50}$ of remifentanil for minimizing the cardiovascular changes and side effects associated with fiberoptic nasotracheal intubation was 3.11-3.43 ng/mL during propofol TCI anesthesia with a Ce of 4 ug/mL.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.103-109
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• 2016

Background: One nostril must be selected for nasotracheal intubation. In some cases, structural anomalies within the nasal cavity hinder the insertion of the tube or complications, such as epistaxis, develop. This study examined the possibility of using radiography to select the nostril that would induce fewer complications. Methods: Four hundred and five patients who underwent nasotracheal intubation under general anesthesia were studied. A 7.0-mm internal diameter nasal right angle endotracheal (RAE) tube and 6.5-mm internal diameter nasal RAE tube were inserted into men and women, respectively. Complications were considered to have developed in cases in which insertion of the tube into the nasal cavity failed or epistaxis occurred. The tube was inserted into the other nostril for insertion failures and hemostasis was performed in cases of epistaxis. The degree of nasal septal deviation was determined from posteroanterior skull radiographs or panoramic radiographs; the incidence of complications was compared depending on the direction of the septal deviation and the intubated nostril. Results: The radiographs of 390 patients were readable; 94 had nasal septum deviation. The incidence of complications for cases without nasal septum deviation was 16.9%, that for cases in which the tube was inserted into the nostril on the opposite side of the deviation was 18.5%, and that for cases in which the tube was inserted into the nostril with the deviation was 35.0%, showing a high incidence of complications when intubation is performed through the nostril with septum deviation (chi-square test, P < 0.05 ). Conclusions: Although there were no differences in the incidence rates of complications between intubation through the left nostril and that through the right nostril, radiological findings indicated that incidence of complications significantly increased when the tube was inserted into the nostril with the septum deviation.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.61-64
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• 2017

Nasotracheal intubation is generally a useful maxillofacial surgery that provides good surgical access for intraoral procedures. When nasotracheal intubation is difficult, laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion can be performed, and the flexible $LMA^{TM}$ (FLMA) is also useful for anesthetic management. However, the FLMA provides limited access to the mouth, which restricts the insertion of instrumentation and confines the surgical field available. Here, we present our experience using the FLMA airway management for dental treatment cases involving difficulty with intubation.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.39-43
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• 2023

Nasotracheal intubation is commonly performed under general anesthesia in oral and maxillofacial surgery. For the convenience of surgery, nasal Ring-Adair-Elwyn (RAE) tubes are mainly used. Because the nasal RAE tubes were bent in an "L" shape, the insertion depth was limited. Particularly, it is necessary to accurately determine the appropriate depth of the RAE tubes in children. Several types of nasal RAE tubes are used in the medical market, which vary in material and length. We performed endotracheal intubation using a nasal RAE tube for double-jaw surgery, but air leakage persisted even when the air pressure in the cuff was increased. When checked with a laryngoscope, it was confirmed that the tube was pushed out, and the cuff was caught on the vocal cords, causing air leakage. Since inserting the tube deeply did not solve the problem, replacing it with a nasal RAE tube (Polar^TM, Preformed Tracheal Tube, Smith Medical, Inc., USA) did not cause air leakage; thus, we reported this case.