[Double lumen tube insertion in awake patients through the AirTraq laryngoscope in 2 cases of expected difficult airway]. / Intubación con tubo de doble luz mediante laringoscopio Airtraq en dos pacientes despiertos con vía aérea díficil prevista.

The likelihood of difficult airway in thoracic surgery increases in the presence of associated cancer of the pharynx or larynx. The difficulty is greater when a double lumen tube must be inserted in these conditions, and various newly developed optical devices offer solutions for managing such cases. We report on 2 patients with expected difficult airway who were scheduled for lung resection. In both cases, intubation was accomplished through the AirTraq laryngoscope while the patient remained awake. Awake patient tolerance is facilitated by this laryngoscope, because the tube can be inserted without changing the position of the tongue or placing pressure on the vallecula.

Intubación con tubo de doble luz mediante laringoscopio Airtraq® en dos pacientes despiertos con vía aérea díficil prevista / Double lumen tube insertion in awake patients through the AirTraq laryngoscope in 2 cases of expected difficult airway

La posibilidad de hallar un paciente con vía aérea difícil (VAD) en cirugía torácica aumenta por la coexistencia de patología oncológica faringo-laríngea asociada. El uso de tubos de doble luz para el aislamiento pulmonar supone una dificultad añadida en estas situaciones. Diversos dispositivos ópticos diseñados en los últimos años, aportan nuevas soluciones disponibles para el manejo de estos casos. Presentamos dos pacientes con VAD conocida, programados para resección pulmonar, en los que se utilizó con éxito el laringoscopio Airtraq® para la inserción de tubo de doble luz con el paciente despierto. Este laringoscopio no requiere desplazamiento de la lengua, ni tracción de la vallécula, lo que facilita su tolerancia en pacientes despiertos(AU)

The likelihood of difficult airway in thoracic surgery increases in the presence of associated cancer of the pharynx or larynx. The difficulty is greater when a double lumen tube must be inserted in these conditions, and various newly developed optical devices offer solutions for managing such cases. We report on 2 patients with expected difficult airway who were scheduled for lung resection. In both cases, intubation was accomplished through the AirTraq laryngoscope while the patient remained awake. Awake patient tolerance is facilitated by this laryngoscope, because the tube can be inserted without changing the position of the tongue or placing pressure on the vallecula(AU)