Laryngeal suction tube: A novel technique for tracheal ventilation in an
obstructed airway in a child with respiratory papillomatosis
Abstract
Background Airway obstruction in a child requires expedite management in
addition to comprehensive discussion between the Otolaryngology and
Anaesthesiology team to formulate a treatment plan to ensure safe
airway. Juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP) is
an exophytic benign laryngeal lesion which poses a great challenge when
presented with respiratory distress. Objective: This paper presents a
novel, safe and cost-effective approach to temporary tracheal
ventilation of the obstructed airway in a child with juvenile-onset
recurrent respiratory papillomatosis using the laryngeal suction tube
connected to general anaesthetic (GA) machine. Result and Conclusion
Rigid laryngeal suction tube is placed through the side-port of Lindholm
laryngoscope and connected to breathing circuit of GA machine via
modification of the suction tubing and endotracheal tube (ETT) 15mm male
connector. Manual bagging ventilation with 100% FiO2 achieved good
oxygenation throughout the debulking of the papilloma without hindering
the surgical field. Our technique utilizes the readily available
equipment whilst enabling safe anaesthesia and providing good surgical
field during excision of obstructive papillomatous airway lesion.