Objective:

Oral cancer patients have a potentially difficult airway, but if managed properly during the perioperative period, morbidity and mortality can be reduced or avoided.

Methods:

The medical records of 156 patients who were operated for oral cancers were reviewed for airway management during the perioperative period.

Results:

The surgical procedures ranged from excisions, wide local excisions with split skin graftings, hemiglossectomies and radical neck nodes dissections to pectoralis major myocutaneous or free fibular flaps. Intubation was assessed as difficult in 14.7% of patients because of tumour- or radiation fibrosis-related trismus, restricted neck mobility and prior similar surgeries. Twenty patients had undergone surgery for oral cancer previously and were scheduled for flap reconstruction. Nasotracheal intubation was a preferred route, and 62.8% of patients could be intubated nasotracheally after neuromuscular blockade. Tracheostomy (elective or existing) was utilised for airway control in 19.2% cases. Patients who had undergone prior radiotherapy were more likely to be tracheostomised. McCoy laryngoscopes (13.4%), gum elastic bougies (23.6%), Airtraq devices (0.006%) and fibreoptic bronchoscopes (FOBs) (0.03%) were the additional airway techniques employed. In total, 64 patients (50.7%) could be extubated immediately after surgery.

Conclusion:

Proper preoperative evaluation and planning help manage difficult airways effectively with minimal need of advanced airway gadgets. Gum elastic bougies and Magill forceps are very useful in airway management and decrease the need of elective tracheostomy in oral cancer patients.

Keywords: Oral cancer, surgery, airway management