Difficult airway intubation simulation using Bonfils fiberscope and rigid fiberscope for surgical training.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric otolaryngologists are frequently called to assist in difficult airway management in newborns with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) who have microretrognathia, glossoptosis, and an anterior larynx. The Bonfils fiberscope (BF) is a curved rigid scope designed to provide superior visualization in the anterior larynx. OBJECTIVE: (1) to assess whether BF provides an improvement in intubation success rate, time to intubation, or airway visualization as compared to rigid fiberscope (RF) in a difficult airway simulation setting and (2) to determine whether a training program for BF can improve time to intubation through practice trials. METHODS: Six right-handed trainees completed five trials on each of the three following airway models using the BF and RF: normal anatomy, anterior larynx and PRS. The normal larynx model was intubated only with RF. Main outcome measures were the time needed for tracheal intubation and Cormack-Lehane classification (1-4). RESULTS: The majority of the intubation trials showed a statistically significant difference between first and last completion times (p < .05) suggesting construct validity. Only the anterior larynx trials with BF did not demonstrate an improvement in time to intubation between first and last attempts (p < .3125). For the PRS retrognathia model, there was no statistically significant difference in time to intubation between using the BF and the RF (p < .44); in the anterior larynx model, the RF yielded a faster time to intubation than the BF on the final trial attempts (p < .0313). By Cormack-Lehane classification measures, laryngeal visualization by the BF was better than RF in the PRS manikin (p < .0022) while there was no significant difference in grade scores for the anterior larynx manikin (p < .45). All six trainees reported an improved visualization of the larynx with the BF compared to the RF for both the anterior larynx and PRS manikins; at the end of the trial runs, all participants noted an improvement in comfort level using the BF. CONCLUSION: The difficult airway simulation model is feasible for surgical training. BF adds superior visualization of the anterior larynx in PRS. Otolaryngology training programs may include BF as a supplemental tool in addition to RF as a part of the airway equipment training since there is significant improvement in time to intubation with consecutive practice trials and superior laryngeal visualization.

A Delayed Finding of a Tracheal Cartilaginous Sleeve in a Patient with Pfeiffer Syndrome Type 2 and a Complex Airway History.

Persistent airway obstruction symptoms in a 2½-year-old boy with Pfeiffer syndrome were attributed to facial abnormalities, central and obstructive sleep apnea, and tracheomalacia from a vascular ring. These findings delayed the diagnosis of a tracheal cartilaginous sleeve. Life expectancy in tracheal cartilaginous sleeve is improved by tracheostomy. Tracheal cartilaginous sleeve should be considered and investigated through airway endoscopy in children with fibroblast growth factor receptor-related craniosynostosis syndromes.

Preservation of microelectrode recordings with non-GABAergic drugs during deep brain stimulator placement in children.

OBJECT: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become accepted therapy for intractable dystonia and other movement disorders. The accurate placement of DBS electrodes into the globus pallidus internus is assisted by unimpaired microelectrode recordings (MERs). Many anesthetic and sedative drugs interfere with MERs, requiring the patient to be awake for target localization and neurological testing during the procedure. In this study, a novel anesthetic technique was investigated in pediatric DBS to preserve MERs. METHODS: In this paper, the authors describe a sedative/anesthetic technique using ketamine, remifentanil, dexmedetomidine, and nicardipine in 6 pediatric patients, in whom the avoidance of GABAergic stimulating drugs permitted excellent surgical conditions with no detrimental effects on intraoperative MERs. The quality of the MERs, and the frequency of its use in making electrode placement decisions, was reviewed. RESULTS: All 6 patients had good-quality MERs. The data were of sufficient quality to make a total of 9 trajectory adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: Microelectrode recordings in pediatric DBS can be preserved with a combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine, remifentanil, and nicardipine. This preservation of MERs is particularly crucial in electrode placement in children.