Low field magnetic resonance fluoroscopy was used to clarify temporal and spatial features of airway obstruction in sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) in multiple system atrophy (MSA), as well as in obstructive SAS (OSAS). 20 patients with OSAS with severe obesity (mean (SD) age 66 (10) years; 16 men, 4 women) and 6 patients with SAS related to probable MSA (60 (9) years; 4 men, 2 women) were studied....

We report two cases of severe upper airway obstruction caused by supraglottic oedema which developed rapidly at the time of anaesthesia. Conventional methods to relieve the obstruction failed and it was only overcome when a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was inserted and positive pressure applied manually during inspiration. In one case a fibrescope was passed via the LMA and this revealed two cus...

OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate the effectiveness and the good outcome of the patients treated with helium-oxygen (Heliox) mixture. This mixture (Heliox) has been used in patients with airway obstruction, from different ethiologies, who did not respond to a conventional treatment with oxygen. METHODS: Case report of five patients that received Heliox as treatment for airway obstruction. All of them had ...

BACKGROUND Retropharyngeal hematoma is a rare form of pharyngeal pathology and can present as acute airway obstruction. Among the many causes of retropharyngeal hematoma, thoracic aortic rupture is extremely rare. METHODS AND RESULTS A 78-year-old female with airway obstruction by a retropharyngeal hematoma secondary to thoracic aortic aneurysm rupture was successfully treated by total aortic...

Robin sequence (RS) is a commonly encountered triad of micrognathia, glossoptosis, and airway obstruction, with or without a cleft palate. The management of airway obstruction is of paramount importance, and multiple reviews and retrospective series outline the diagnosis and treatment of RS. This article focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of RS and the specialists' contributions and though...

Obstruction of the upper airway is recognized as a feature of acromegaly. Evans, Hipkin and Murray (1977) found abnormal flow volume curves suggesting upper airway obstruction in 6 out of 20 patients with acromegaly and no other cardiorespiratory disease. Such obstruction has been proposed as a cause of shortness of breath (Siegler, 1952), problems with endotracheal intubation (Kitahata, 1971),...

Thoraco-abdominal asynchrony is frequently encountered during inhalation anaesthesia in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy causing an upper airway obstruction. The study goal was to evaluate the impact of different airway opening manoeuvres on thoraco-abdominal asynchrony as a measure of airway obstruction. Thirty anaesthetized children (aged 2-8 yrs; sevoflurane 3% in 50% oxygen/nitrous ...

High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) is a potentially life-saving adjunct in the emergency management of the obstructed airway. HFNO has multiple beneficial applications in critical care and respiratory support, but its use in emergency-obstructed airway management has not been defined. This case report describes spontaneous respiration using intravenous anesthesia and high-flow nasal oxygen to succes...