Fiberoptic Intubation in Lateral Versus Supine Position in Pediatrics Undergoing Non-head-and-neck Surgery

Fiberoptic intubation was first described in the late 1960s and has since become an effective and well-established technique for airway management in awake, sedated, and anesthetized patients. This technique is especially useful in patients with known or suspected difficult airways such as those with limited mouth opening, reduced neck mobility, cervical spine injury, obesity, or an elevated risk for aspiration. The benefits of fiberoptic intubation also include fewer complications such as tooth injury and oropharyngeal bleeding; and the opportunity for optimal positioning of double-lumen tubes in patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Anesthesiologists may be confronted with situations in which patients in a lateral position during surgery experience an accidental loss of airway patency. Intubation with direct laryngoscopy is more challenging and time-consuming in patients in the latera