Airway Obstruction during Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery Christian Bohringer, MBBS and Linda Vo, MD | February 28, 2024

https://psnet.ahrq.gov/web-mm/airway-obstruction-during-anterior-cervical-spine-surgery In this WebM&M Case, a 47-year-old obese man with hypertension fell and suffered a cervical spine (C5/C6) fracture. He was scheduled for urgent anterior cervical decompression and fusion and was transferred to the operating room (OR) where general anesthesia was induced. During the procedure, his expired tidal volume decreased from 560ml to about 330 mls. He was manually ventilated through the endotracheal tube, which proved very difficult. An urgent chest X-ray did not reveal any pneumothorax or lung pathology. The Black Belt cervical retractor was released by the surgeon resulting in complete resolution of the airway obstruction. The commentary highlights the importance of vigilant monitoring and good communication to identify and respond to life-threatening events and describes approaches to improve crisis management during anesthesia events.