Light wand assisted nasotracheal intubation in oral and maxillofacial surgery patient with restricted mouth opening

The efficacy and safety of use of the lightwand assisted naso tracheal intubation method in patients undergoing oromaxillofacial surgery recognized with restricted mouth opening is evaluated. 25 patients undergoing oromaxillofacial surgery with a Mallampatti classification of III or IV were intubated via nasal route assisted by the lightwand. Number of attempts, time to intubation and complications were assessed. There were 18 male and 7 female patients aged 8 to 62 years. The rate of successful intubations was 100%. The high success rate and minimal complications associated with the lightwand method of intubation in difficult airway cases indicates that this is a viable method for use with a high degree of reliability.