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General Objective: To assess the practice of blood conservation. Specific Objectives: To determine the methods of blood conservation in use, to assess the lower limit for hemoglobin for elective procedures, to determine transfusion trigger point in practice, to find out limitations in practice and ways to improve clinical practice. Materials and Methods: This was conducted in February 2009. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the surgeons and anesthetists in practice at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital and National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu. The data gathered was analyzed using the SPSS software. Results : Of participants who agreed to fill the questionnaires, more than 50% were males. The most prevalent specialty was general surgery (24.2%), followed by orthopedics (22.6%), obstetrics and gynecology (20.7%), and anesthesia (17.7%). The lowest hemoglobin limit before the patient was allowed into the theatre for elective procedures was 10 g/dl while individual transfusion trigger points ranged from hemoglobin of 6 to 10 g/dl. Majority of the doctors would avoid homologous blood transfusion in order to avoid transfusion-related diseases and reaction. Regarding knowledge of blood conservation methods and means of avoiding homologous blood, the use of diathermy was highest (12.33%), followed by preoperative blood donation (11.87%), use of hematinics (10.96%), and tourniquet 10.5%. Also, in practice, diathermy was the most frequently used (18.69%), followed by preoperative blood donation (16.16%), use of tourniquet (15.15%), while the Ovadje cell saver was least with 0.01%. Suggestions from respondents on the ways of limiting transfusion-related problems included optimization of patients (24.5%), improvement of standard of living (17.7%), and personnel training (13.3%). Conclusion: There is an agreement with the global trend geared toward minimizing the use of homologous blood by doctors in these hospitals. However, our practice must continually be refined by continuing medical education in order to keep everyone informed of changes in practice. The Government must improve the quality of service by the provision of unavailable infrastructure.

Background: In resource-limited settings, advanced airway management tools like fiberoptic bronchoscopes are often unavailable, creating challenges for managing difficult airways. We present the case of a 25-year-old male with post-burn contractures of the face, neck, and thorax in Nigeria, who had been repeatedly denied surgery due to the high risk of airway management complications. This case highlights how an awake intubation was safely performed using an Airtraq ® laryngoscope, the only device available, as fiberoptic intubation was not an option. The patient had a mouth opening of 3.5 cm, a Mallampati score of 4, and no neck extension, making intubation challenging. Pre-procedural counseling was provided, and after explaining the risks, the patient gave informed consent., Case Presentation: Preoxygenation was performed, followed by topical anesthesia using lidocaine gargles and incremental spraying of lidocaine to the vocal cords via a feeding tube. The Airtraq ® laryngoscope enabled glottic visualization despite limited neck mobility and challenging anatomy. Procedural challenges included managing aspiration during gargling, precise lidocaine application without advanced tools, and maintaining patient cooperation. The procedure was successfully completed, allowing surgery for contracture release., Conclusions: This case emphasizes that safe awake intubation with an Airtraq ® laryngoscope is feasible in low-resource environments when key principles-oxygenation, topical anesthesia, and careful procedural steps-are followed. The reuse of a single-use device like the Airtraq ® laryngoscope extends its utility in resource-constrained settings, enabling complex airway management when alternatives are unavailable. The patient tolerated the procedure well and reported minimal discomfort. This experience underscores the critical importance of innovation, resourcefulness, and patient cooperation in managing difficult airways when standard tools are unavailable, offering valuable lessons for similar resource-constrained environments., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The patient provided informed consent for the procedure. Consent for publication: Written authorization form the patient was provided for submission of a case report. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)