Successful airway management with combined use of a McGRATHTM MAC videolaryngoscope and fiberoptic bronchoscope in a patient with congenital tracheal stenosis diagnosed in adulthood

Shoko Hasegawa; Kenichiro Koda; Masashi Uzawa; Haruka Kimura; Rie Kimura; Takayuki Kitamura

doi:10.1186/s40981-021-00452-w

Successful airway management with combined use of a McGRATH^TM MAC videolaryngoscope and fiberoptic bronchoscope in a patient with congenital tracheal stenosis diagnosed in adulthood

JA Clin Rep. 2021 Jun 9;7(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s40981-021-00452-w.

Authors

Shoko Hasegawa¹, Kenichiro Koda², Masashi Uzawa¹, Haruka Kimura¹, Rie Kimura¹, Takayuki Kitamura¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, 564-1 Shimoshizu, Sakura, Chiba, 285-8741, Japan.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, 564-1 Shimoshizu, Sakura, Chiba, 285-8741, Japan. kenich-kou@sakura.med.toho-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

Background: Most patients with congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) develop respiratory symptoms early in life. CTS remaining undiagnosed until adulthood is rare.

Case presentation: A 51-year-old female was scheduled for cardiovascular surgery. She had undergone laparoscopic surgery 3 years earlier and was found to have a difficult airway. Postoperatively, she was diagnosed with CTS. For the current cardiovascular surgery, combined use of a McGRATH^TM MAC videolaryngoscope and fiberoptic bronchoscope allowed sufficient visualization of the glottis and trachea, resulting in successful intubation.

Conclusions: CTS patients have a high probability of difficult intubation. Our experience suggests the efficacy of combined use of a videolaryngoscope and fiberoptic bronchoscope for airway management in CTS patients.

Keywords: Complete tracheal rings; Difficult airway management; Fiberoptic bronchoscope; Pulmonary artery sling; Tracheal intubation; Videolaryngoscope.