Awake tracheal intubation in a patient with a supraglottic mass with the Bonfils
fibrescope after failed attempts with a flexible
fibrescope.
On reaching the carina, endotracheal tube was railroaded over the
fibrescope. Tracheal placement confirmed by locating murphy's eye during removing the fiberscope.
Kapany, "A flexible
fibrescope, using static scanning," Nature, vol.
Tracheal intubation is considered easier with the AWS than with a Macintosh laryngoscope and the time to intubation is reduced compared with a
fibrescope (2).
Oral fiberoptic technique might be difficult due to large, heavy, anteriorly placed, "hanging epiglotis" (sometimes resting on the tong base) making the passage of the
fibrescope towards the glotic opening impossible.
The difficult paediatric airway: A new method of intubation using the laryngeal mask airway, Cook airway exchange catheter and tracheal intubation
fibrescope. Paediatr Anaesth 2001;11(5):618-21.
The spots of light and colour transmitted by each fibre are focused and magnified by another lens system at the handle of the
fibrescope. The eye perceives each fibre carrying light and colour as a unit of a mesh-like structure.
The
fibrescope, worth pounds 10, 952, was found to be missing from its case, and director of nursing Helen Young said the incident would be reported to the police.
Fibreoptic bronchoscopy was performed using an Olympus FB3
fibrescope and any endobronchial lesion visible was biopsied.