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Airway management: intubation, LMA, difficult airway

Anesthesiology · MBBS

Study notes

A 55-year-old man, Mr. Gupta, is scheduled for a hip surgery. He is quite heavy and has a thick neck. Before the surgery, the anesthesiologist looks into his mouth. Mr. Gupta opens wide, but the doctor can only see the very bottom of his uvula (the small hanging part in the throat). This is graded as a Mallampati Class III, which means he might have a 'Difficult Airway'. To be safe, the doctor prepares a 'Video Laryngoscope' (a tool with a tiny camera to see better). When it is time for the surgery, the doctor gives Mr. Gupta medicine to sleep and puts him in the 'Sniffing Position'. Because his throat is hard to see, the doctor uses the camera to find the vocal cords and successfully slides the Endotracheal Tube (ETT) into his Trachea (windpipe). The doctor then checks a machine called a Capnograph, which shows a steady wave of CO2, confirming that the tube is perfectly placed in the lungs.

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