A 39-year-old man presented for mechanical thrombectomy after receiving systemic tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for a basilar artery occlusion. The anesthesiology team was initially unable to intubate the patient due to oropharyngeal bleeding and a large epiglottis. Two-handed, 2-provider mask ventilation with an oral airway proved difficult. The team successfully placed a supraglottic airway (SGA) through which an oral endotracheal tube (ETT) was advanced over a fiberoptic bronchoscope into the trachea. The SGA remained overnight with the cuff inflated to tamponade the bleeding. The ETT was exchanged over an airway exchange catheter on postoperative day 1 without further airway complications.
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