[Fastrach intubation in patients with cervical disease]

Abstract

The Fastrach laryngeal mask for intubation is a new device designed for blind orotracheal intubation in patients with criteria predictive of difficult airway control. The new device looks like the conventional laryngeal mask but offers a series of design changes that allow orotracheal intubation to be accomplished without visualization of the glottis. The rigid metal tube is bent and incorporates a metal handle; the two fixed bars that prevent the epiglottis from falling and blocking the opening have been replaced by a moveable bar that rises with the passage of the endotracheal tube and the exit of the V-shaped metal tube guides the endotracheal tube that was specially designed for this use. We describe three patients with cervical disease, one with advanced ankylosing spondylitis, one with traumatic luxation of the C6-C7 articulation and one diagnosed of two cervical disk hernias. All their tracheas were intubated without difficulty through the Fastrach mask with the patients' heads in neutral position. Although fiberoptic bronchoscopy is the method of choice in patients with cervical problems, the non-availability of the technique and the need for training in its use make the Fastrach mask an alternative worth considering for such patients.