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Airway Crisis Associated with Cervical Spine Surgery

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Abstract

Airway problems most commonly arise during anesthesia for cervical spinal surgery either due to the impact of the underlying spinal pathology which increases the likelihood of difficult airway or as a consequence of soft tissue swelling which results from prolonged surgery and prone positioning which lead to acute airway compromise postoperatively. Although less common, intraoperative difficulties may also arise and are typically related to endotracheal tube migration or kinking resulting from surgical positioning.

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Suggested Reading

Preoperative Assessment and Management of the Airway

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Postoperative Respiratory Complications

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Management of Postoperative Respiratory Complications

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    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shakespeare WA, Lanier WL, Perkins WJ, Paternak JJ. Airway management in patients who develop neck hematomas after carotid endarterectomy. Anesth Analg. 2010;110:588–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Crosby, E. (2020). Airway Crisis Associated with Cervical Spine Surgery. In: Brambrink, A., Kirsch, J. (eds) Essentials of Neurosurgical Anesthesia & Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17410-1_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17410-1_36

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-17408-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-17410-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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