Fluoroscope-aided retrograde placement of guide wire for tracheal intubation in patients with limited mouth opening

Abstract

Passing a retrograde catheter/wire into the pharynx through a cricothyroid puncture can facilitate tracheal intubation in difficult situations where either a flexible fibre-optic bronchoscope or an expert user of such a device is not available. Some mouth opening is essential for the oral and/or nasal retrieval of the catheter/wire from the pharynx. Two patients with temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis and extremely limited mouth opening required gap arthroplasty of the TMJ under general anaesthesia. Because we did not have a flexible fibre-optic bronchoscope, we performed fluoroscopy-assisted nasal retrieval of the guide wire passed up through a cricothyroid puncture and subsequently accomplished wire-guided naso-tracheal intubation. In the absence of a flexible fibre-optic bronchoscope, this technique is a very useful aid to intubation in patients with limited mouth opening. © The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2004.