Combined use of adult fiberoptic bronchoscope and CARTO catheter for tracheal intubation in children with known difficult airway

Purpose To find an alternative device to solve the difficult airway in children. Method Fifteen patients, all ASA I-II, aged from 1.5 to 9 years, who were undergoing elective surgeries were included. Difficult endotracheal intubation, but not difficult ventilation, was possible for all. The adult fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB) was used to provide a vision of the glottis, and the CARTO catheter (a cardiac interventional catheter) with adjustable tip was used to induce the endotracheal tube. Results All patients were successfully intubated within 1-2 min at the first attempt. Conclusion Combined use of adult FOB and CARTO catheter may be an alternative device for tracheal intubation in children with known difficult airway. Keywords Difficult airway * Fiberoptic intubation * Child
Introduction The difficult airway in children presents a challenge to anesthesiologists, and various techniques have been used. Fiberoptic intubation plays a central role in difficult airway management in children [1, [...]