Anesthesia Tips for Facial Plastic Surgery

In facial plastic surgery, airways becomes "shared" by anesthesiologists and surgeons. We present our tips for the creation of a secure indwelling oral endotracheal tube free from traditional external methods to secure the tube. Our method replaces much of the ET cuff air pressure with a pre-measured local anesthetic solution. The subsequent pressure securely "fixates" the tube internally so that accidental extubation is extremely unlikely. The local anesthetic solution anesthetizes the trachea reducing intraop stimulation by head repositioning. External fixation is avoided, eliminating the distortion of the mouth and nose leaving an unobstructed operative field for the plastic surgeon.