Jubilee Hospital, Trivandrum.
Difficult intubation is encountered at times for giving General anesthesia. Endoscopic guided intubation helps overcome this difficulty.
Fiberoptic endotracheal intubation is a useful technique in a number of situations. It can be used when the patient’s neck cannot be manipulated, as when the cervical spine is not stable. Patients unable to open the mouth properly due to trismus or small jaw can cause difficulty in oral intubation.
It can also be used when it is not possible to visualize the vocal cords because a straight line view cannot be established from the mouth to the larynx.
Fiberoptic intubation can be performed either awake or under general anesthesia and it can be performed either as the initial management of a patient known to have a difficult airway, or as a backup technique after direct laryngoscopy has been unsuccessful.
