1. Awake Tracheal Intubation in Patients with Morbid Obesity: When, Why, and How?
- Author
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Collins, Jeremy and Brodsky, Jay B.
- Subjects
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INTUBATION , *MORBID obesity , *HYPOXEMIA , *ANESTHETIC emergencies , *OVERWEIGHT persons , *ARTIFICIAL respiration , *DIAGNOSIS , *DISEASES - Abstract
Patients with morbid obesity possess one or more anatomical features associated with difficult mask ventilation and rapidly develop hypoxemia when this is inadequate or impossible. A higher incidence of difficult intubation has also been suggested in patients with morbid obesity, and so some clinicians choose awake intubation as their primary strategy for airway management. In many cases this is unnecessary. The decision to intubate before or after anesthetic induction should consider several key factors which will be discussed and techniques of awake intubation in patients with morbid obesity are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010