Management of difficult airway in a pregnant patient with severely reduced mouth opening

Faisal Shamim, Aly Bahadur, Dinaz Ghandhi, Anum Aijaz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Pregnancy is associated with a wide variety of oral and dental changes ranging from gingivitis to odontogenic infections. If left untreated, severe dental abscess can progress to Ludwig’s angina, which is a potentially lethal cellulitis that rapidly extends to the neck region and may lead to life-threatening upper airway obstruction. We report the case of a pregnant woman who presented with intense throbbing pain, trismus and severely reduced mouth opening due to dental abscess for the last one week. She required incision and drainage of abscess with extraction of third molar under general anaesthesia. There are some significant challenges to anaesthesiologist like the risk of aspiration and failed intubation in patients with pregnancy and anticipated difficult airway. With counselling and proper preparation, we were able to manage this case with awake intubation. The potential merits of securing airway in conscious state with necessary steps in preparation are particularly discussed with emphasis of creating awareness among local healthcare practitioners.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1011-1013
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Volume71
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021

Keywords

  • Awake fibre optic intubation
  • Dental abscess
  • Drainage
  • Incision
  • Ludwig’s angina
  • Pregnancy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Management of difficult airway in a pregnant patient with severely reduced mouth opening'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this