Awake Nasotracheal Intubation

Overview

A practical and academic approach to awake fiberoptic intubation as a rescue decision in the anticipated difficult airway. This is not merely a “scope technique”; it is a safety philosophy: do not anesthetize the patient whose airway you may lose after induction. Keep the patient awake, preserve spontaneous breathing, topicalize the airway intelligently, advance the camera calmly, confirm the tube visually and with capnography, and only then — and only after confirmation — give general anesthesia. The goal is not simply to save the patient with a scope; the goal is to avoid turning a...