Case Reports
1 August 2025
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024)
Awake intubation in a patient with morbid obesity in the emergency department: our experience
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Awake intubation is considered the standard of care for the management of the anticipated difficult airway. For its pharmacological properties, remifentanil is ideal for managing difficult endotracheal insertions. This process is augmented by the use of transtracheal injection of lidocaine as it disperses evenly around the area and facilitates the action of remifentanil further. A 48-year-old male patient, weight 200 kg, 184 cm tall (BMI>40) came into the emergency room for severe hypercapnic hypoxic respiratory failure. Awake fiberoptic intubation was the option to secure the airway. Successful airway management is critical to the practice of emergency medicine. All anesthesiologists should be familiar with the airway management of obese patients.
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Citations
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How to Cite
Awake intubation in a patient with morbid obesity in the emergency department: our experience. (2025). Advances in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/amsa.2024.33
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