Korean J Anesthesiol.  1999 Sep;37(3):412-418. 10.4097/kjae.1999.37.3.412.

Anesthetic Management of Airway Reconstruction Surgery: A Review of 15 Cases

• Yang MK
• Kim EJ
• Lee JJ

• KMID: 2240041
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.1999.37.3.412

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia for patients who have had to receive airway reconstruction surgery due to various causes may be the most challenging task in anesthesiology. A 3-year experience, in a consecutive series of 15 patients is herein reviewed.
METHODS
We analyzed retrospectively the clinical status, the performed surgery, and the anesthetic management of the patients.
RESULTS
The most common cause of airway obstruction was postintubation stenosis of the cervical trachea (6 patients). Tumor (3), trauma (2), tuberculosis (2), radiation (1), and the extrinsic compression (1) of the trachea or the main bronchus were the other causes. The kinds of surgery performed were resection and anastomosis (13 patients), external stent implantation (1), and lymph node excision (1). Airway control was successful during the perioperative period, and surgical death was never encountered.
CONCLUSIONS
With careful preoperative evaluation of the status of the airway and close communication between the anesthesiologist and the surgeon, anesthesia during airway reconstruction surgery can be most worthwhile.

Keyword

Airway, main bronchus, maintenance, obstruction, reconstruction, trachea

MeSH Terms

Airway Management
Airway Obstruction
Anesthesia
Anesthesiology
Bronchi
Constriction, Pathologic
Humans
Lymph Node Excision
Perioperative Period
Retrospective Studies
Stents
Trachea
Tuberculosis