الملخص الإنجليزي
Securing an airway in children with trismus is challenging and
dangerous. Sound clinical judgment is critical for timing and
for selecting the method for airway intervention. We present
two pediatric cases of submandibular abscess with difficult oral
intubation who underwent incision and drainage. Large facial
(jaw) swelling, trismus-limited mouth opening, edema, protruding
teeth, and altered airway anatomy makes airway management more
difficult. Chances of rupture of abscess intraorally and aspiration
under General Anesthesia (GA) is a major threat. Loss of airway
under muscle relaxation, difficult to ventilate, difficult to intubate and
unwillingness for awake intubation in the pediatric age group makes
these cases most challenging. On the basis of our experience, both
cases were successfully intubated in anaesthetized, spontaneously
breathing children with visual-guided fibreoptic intubation.
