Airway management relates to the period of tracheal intubation, maintenance of endotracheal tube in situ, and finally extubation. Problems related to difficult extubation still pose significant challenge for both anesthesiologists and intensivists. This article reviews current approach to extubation strategy following difficult intubation. Guidelines and algorithm may be helpful in order to ens...

INTRODUCTION Post-operative sore throat and cough are common complications of endotracheal intubation. These conditions may be very distressing for the patient and may lead to unpleasant memories. This study was performed in order to determine whether beclomethasone and lidocaine spray could reduce the frequency of post-operative sore throat and hoarseness after tracheal extubation. MATERIALS...

BACKGROUND During invasive mechanical ventilation, secretions accumulate in the subglottic space; consequently, there is a risk of aspiration of these secretions into the airway during cuff deflation and extubation. To minimize this risk, 2 extubation methods are used. The first consists of introducing a suction catheter into the endotracheal tube (ETT) and the trachea. After initiating suction...

Oral endotracheal intubation and extubation are two routine procedures performed by anesthesia providers which could lead to breaches of mucosal integrity and slight or moderate bleeding, thereby providing a vector for transmission of a blood-borne disease. This study was designed to determine the incidence of occult or overt blood in the oral and pharyngeal areas during the intubation and extu...

One of the most frequent complications associated with endotracheal intubation itself in intensive care units is unplanned extubation, which represents a potentially serious complication given that many patients may need reintubation while in poor condition. This scenario may account for an increase in morbidity and even in mortality. To be able to compare the rates of unplanned extubation in c...

A tracheal intubation-related tracheobronchial rupture is a relatively rare complication. We report a case of tracheobronchial rupture after single lumen endotracheal intubation. Twenty four hours after extubation of an endotracheal tube, subcutaneous emphysema developed on the patient's neck. A pneumomediastinum was also detected by computerized tomography (CT). The patient recovered uneventfu...