Successful management of severe upper airway obstruction during emergence of anesthesia in consequence of fracture of deflated laryngeal mask airway due to biting--a case report.

ABSTRACT

Biting the laryngeal mask airway during general anesthesia in the absence of a bite block as a forestallment is a common but usually uncomplicated event. We report a young healthy adult female patient who underwent removal of fixation implant in the right elbow under general anesthesia, during the emergence of which she bit and severed the airway tube of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) after cuff deflation and developed upper airway obstruction in consequence of air blockade by the displaced deflated LMA cuff remaining inside the mouth. Removal of residual part of the LMA in the mouth was successful with propofol re-anesthetization without molestation of 02 saturation. We discuss the management of this critical airway condition resulting from fracture of deflated LMA in the closed mouth.