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The hazards of airway surgery


EH Welch

Abstract

Airway surgery provides a unique challenge in that the airway is shared between the anaesthetist and surgeon. Patients may experience airway obstruction, often at extremes of age, following aspiration of a foreign body by the young or tumourrelated impediments in the elderly which are complicated by smoking-related heart and lung disease. The threat of hypoxia, retained carbon dioxide and complete airway obstruction is present pre-, intra- and postoperatively.

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eISSN: 2220-1173
print ISSN: 2220-1181