%0 Case Reports
%T Management of unanticipated difficult airway in a patient with well-visualized vocal cords using video laryngoscopy - A case report.
%A Ki S
%A Cho SB
%A Park S
%A Lee J
%J Anesth Pain Med (Seoul)
%V 18
%N 2
%D 2023 Apr
%M 37183289
暂无%R 10.17085/apm.23002
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Difficult airway occurs due to anatomical abnormalities of the airway that can be predicted through airway assessments; however, abnormalities beyond the vocal cord can be clinically asymptomatic and undetected until intubation failure to advance the endotracheal tube.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We present a case of an unanticipated difficult airway in a stuporous 80-year-old female with a recent history of intracerebral hemorrhage and prolonged intubation. She required emergency ventriculo-peritoneal shunt surgery due to the progression of her hydrocephalus. Under anesthesia, facemask ventilation was easy and video laryngoscopy provided a full view of the glottis; however, endotracheal tube (ETT) entry failed. We suspected stenosis beyond the vocal cord, and a smaller diameter ETT was inserted and maintained for airway management during emergency surgery. Postoperative neck computed tomography findings revealed laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Anesthesiologists should be aware that LTS may be asymptomatic and consider difficult airway guidelines in patients with history of prolonged endotracheal intubation.