Conversion of an oral to nasal intubation in difficult nasal anatomy patients: two case reports

BACKGROUND: Nasal intubation is indispensable for some cases that require intraoral surgical access, and the fiberoptic bronchoscope is the best tool for difficult airways. However, fiberoptic bronchoscopy is not always possible in cases with altered pharyngeal anatomy. CASE PRESENTATION: In this report, we introduce a novel technique for retrograde endotracheal oral-to-nasal conversion with an ordinary endotracheal tube exchange catheter. A 49-year-old male with a fractured mandible angle and symphysis was scheduled to undergo mandible reconstruction. Secondly, a 45-year-old male who had a bone defect in the mandible angle and ramus was scheduled for mandible and oral cavity reconstruction. We chose to intubate orally first and successfully converted the endotracheal tube from oral to nasal retrogressively using a tube exchange catheter. CONCLUSIONS: Our simple and safe technique, which use a tube exchange catheter retrogressively, provides an alternative method for a difficult airway in which the fiberscope is not helpful.