Work

Revisiting submental intubation with modification, for complex maxillomandibular surgical repair: A case report

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Patients undergoing complex facial trauma repairs often necessitate prudent airway handling when conventional techniques are not feasible. Intubation alternatives for these surgeries include orotracheal route, nasotracheal access, or tracheostomy; each with specific risks/benefits and contraindications. Careful planning, multidisciplinary team collaboration, and early identification of challenges in these complicated cases is crucial as it mitigates potential airway/surgical risks. Submental intubation is a reliably safe and less invasive option for intubation/surgical airway. This case report highlights a modification to submental intubation aimed at reducing complications and improving procedural efficiency. This is achieved through minimizing multiple passes of surgical/anesthesia instruments through a smaller submental tunnel, thereby decreasing traumatic risk of scarring, bleeding and/or injuries to surrounding structures. This technique reinforces the viability of submental intubation as a preferred alternative in select cases where intubation choices are limited without resorting to tracheostomy.

Source: JCA advances.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcadva.2025.100114

Authors: Sashini Kaushalya Godage, Samuel Peter Ang, Elie Ramly, Indranil Sinha, Kheng-Sze Chan

Institutions: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Airway Management and Intubation Techniques

Subfield: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,200