Airway management in patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery: State of art review.

Airway management in maxillofacial surgery is a critical aspect of anesthesia and perioperative care, demanding a broad array of techniques to ensure effective ventilation and oxygenation. The anatomical and physiological complexities of maxillofacial procedures necessitate a deep understanding of airway management strategies. Patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery often face heightened risks of airway compromise due to trauma, congenital abnormalities, or the surgical interventions themselves, requiring clinicians to be proficient in both routine and advanced techniques. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence and clinical practices in airway management for maxillofacial surgery. It examines the anatomical and physiological considerations, preoperative assessment protocols, intraoperative management, and postoperative care strategies. Preoperative assessments are crucial for identifying potential airway management difficulties, utilizing risk assessments, physical examinations, and imaging. Intraoperative strategies include endotracheal intubation while surgical techniques such as tracheostomy, cricothyroidotomy, submental, and retromolar intubation offer alternatives for securing the airway. Postoperative care focuses on meticulous planning and coordination to prevent complications such as airway obstruction and hypoxemia. Extubation is identified as a particularly high-risk phase, necessitating advanced techniques and multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure patient safety. The review underscores the importance of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to airway management in maxillofacial surgery, highlighting the need for ongoing advancements in techniques and technologies to enhance patient outcomes.

Submental intubation in complex maxillofacial trauma: Pilot balloon protection.

AIMS: This study aims to describe our refined technique of submental intubation to avoid the recorded intraoperative complications related to tube passage and pilot balloon rupture. CASE SERIES: This is a retrospective case series of 21 patients with complex maxillofacial trauma who underwent submental intubation from January 2019 to January 2023. All the patients underwent to the same procedure with a new technique of pilot balloon protection: the pilot balloon was not deflated because, once the connector was removed, only the tube was curved and passed through the incision extraorally while the cuff remained inflated. The wire of the pilot balloon was passed behind the last tooth so as not to interfere with the maxillary-mandibular fixation, remaining extraorally under the anesthetist's view. DISCUSSION: Only 2 patients (9.5%) reported complications related to submental intubation: in particular a patient (4.8%) reported oral floor infection, and in another patient (4.8%) an unesthetic skin scar was observed. No patients reported intraoperative complications related to the procedure. CONCLUSION: The technique of pilot balloon protection that we have proposed seems to be effective in reducing the intraoperative complications related to the passage of the pilot balloon, such as rupture, damage or early extubation.

Vaptans and hyponatremia in critical patients.

Hyponatremia is the most frequent fluid and electrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients (20%), particularly in ICU, associated with an increase in morbility and mortality. While hypovolaemic hyponatremia needs to be corrected with the replacement of the lost extracellular fluid by isotonic saline, euvolaemic (SIADH) and hypervolaemic hyponatremia (oedematous states like decompensated heart failure, liver cirrhosis, i.e.) are treated by restriction of fluid intake, loop diuretics and hypertonic saline. A novel approach consists in use of vaptans, non-peptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) receptor antagonists. Vaptans cause "aquaresis", which results in the correction of plasma osmolality and serum sodium levels, without activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system or changes in blood pressure and renal function. In this paper we critically reviewed the results of the available randomized controlled critical trials, discussing the effectiveness and safety of vaptans in treating hypervolaemic and euvolaemic hyponatremia in critical patients.