Awake nasotracheal fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning followed by anesthesia induction in prone patients: A pilot observational study

Anesthesia followed by placement in the prone position takes time and may result in complications. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of awake nasotracheal fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning followed by anesthesia induction in prone-positioned patients under general anesthesia. Sixty-two patients (ASA physical status I–II) scheduled for awake nasotracheal fiberoptic intubation and prone self-positioning before surgery under general anesthesia were selected. Patient preparation began with detailed preoperative counseling regarding the procedure. Premedication with sedative and antisialagogue was followed by airway anesthesia with topical lidocaine; then, awake nasotracheal fiberoptic intubation was carried out. The patients then positioned themselves comfortably before induction of general anesthesia. The changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), incidence of coughing or gagging, and rate pressure product (RPP) were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed with repeated-measures one-way analysis of variance. Fifty-eight of the 62 patients completed prone self-positioning smoothly. Compared with values before intubation, SBP, DBP, HR, and RPP were slightly increased after intubation, although the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). One patient had moderate coughing and 1 patient had gagging during prone self-positioning, which were tolerable. These findings indicated that awake nasotracheal fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning followed by induction of anesthesia is safe and feasible alternative to routine prone positioning after induction of general anesthesia.