Glossopharyngeal Nerve Block for Awake Intubation

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2014-04-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Endotracheal intubation of the morbidly obese is often performed awake. This is performed after topical anesthesia of the patient's pharynx and larynx. There are many techniques used to perform topical anesthesia of the patient's airway, which include aerosolization of local anesthesia, topical application of local anesthesia, and nerve blockade using needles and local anesthesia. Reasons for failure of any awake tracheal intubation technique is excess gagging. The most effective method to adequately anesthetize the airway to decrease the amount of gagging is unknown. The investigators wish to assess if the instillation of local anesthesia soaked gauze next to the peritonsillar pillars will decrease the number of gagging episodes during awake video laryngoscopy assisted tracheal intubation of the morbidly obese.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: McGill University Health Center; McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
• Treatments: Lidocaine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• All morbidly obese patient presenting for bariatric surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital are eligible.

Exclusion Criteria:

• moderate to severe systemic illness, i.e. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 4 or higher

• inability to communicate in English or French

• contraindications to the drugs used in the study