Difficult airway management and cardiac arrest in an obese patient with maxillofacial fractures: a case report

Difficult airway management and cardiac arrest in an obese patient with maxillofacial fractures: a case report

Authors: Amir Rahmanian Sharifabad, Sayyed Reza Ahmadi Koupaei, Mahmood Hosseinzadeh Maleki, Elhamsadat Mousavi
Published: 2024
Journal: Journal of surgery and trauma

Abstract

We present a case report of a challenging airway management and subsequent cardiac arrest in an obese patient with complex maxillofacial fractures. The patient, a young unknown man involved in a motorcycle accident, was brought to the emergency department with a low level of consciousness. Cervical immobilization was initiated, and the patient was triaged as a level 1 according to the Emergency Severity Index. Despite the use of a cervical collar, airway compromise and severe maxillofacial bleeding necessitated immediate intervention. This case report highlights the challenges encountered during intubation, the development of tension pneumothorax, and the successful management of cardiac arrest in this complex trauma patient.
Keywords: Pneumothorax, Advanced Trauma Life Support Care, Thoracostomy
Rahmanian Sharifabad, A., Ahmadi Koupaei, S. R., Hosseinzadeh Maleki, M., & Mousavi, E. and. (2023). Difficult airway management and cardiac arrest in an obese patient with maxillofacial fractures: A case report. Journal of Surgery and Trauma, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.61186/jsurgtrauma.11.4.159
Rahmanian Sharifabad A, Ahmadi Koupaei SR, Hosseinzadeh Maleki M, Mousavi E and. Difficult airway management and cardiac arrest in an obese patient with maxillofacial fractures: a case report. Journal of Surgery and Trauma [Internet]. 2023;11(4). Available from: http://jsurgery.bums.ac.ir/article-1-388-en.html
@article{rahmanian_sharifabad_difficult_2023, title = {Difficult airway management and cardiac arrest in an obese patient with maxillofacial fractures: a case report}, volume = {11}, url = {http://jsurgery.bums.ac.ir/article-1-388-en.html}, doi = {10.61186/jsurgtrauma.11.4.159}, abstract = {We present a case report of a challenging airway management and subsequent cardiac arrest in an obese patient with complex maxillofacial fractures. The patient, a young unknown man involved in a motorcycle accident, was brought to the emergency department with a low level of consciousness. Cervical immobilization was initiated, and the patient was triaged as a level 1 according to the Emergency Severity Index. Despite the use of a cervical collar, airway compromise and severe maxillofacial bleeding necessitated immediate intervention. This case report highlights the challenges encountered during intubation, the development of tension pneumothorax, and the successful management of cardiac arrest in this complex trauma patient.}, number = {4}, journal = {Journal of Surgery and Trauma}, author = {Rahmanian Sharifabad, Amir and Ahmadi Koupaei, Sayyed Reza and Hosseinzadeh Maleki, Mahmood and Mousavi, Elhamsadat and}, year = {2023}, note = {\_eprint: http://jsurgery.bums.ac.ir/article-1-388-en.pdf}, }