Fiber bronchoscope guidance awake tracheal intubation under prone position following thoracic spine injury

Background: In patients with traumatic thoracic spinal injury, inappropriate changes in position can easily cause displacement of the sharp instrument inside the body, further exacerbating damage to the spinal or surrounding tissues Case presentation A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital due to "stabbing injury causing chest and back pain and bleeding for 2 hours".Due to the risk of further damage to the spinal cord and mediastinum, as well as the patient is in a state of fullness stomach,at a high risk for aspiration.In order to avoid secondary thoracic spinal injury,we ultimately successfully to perform fiberoptic bronchoscopy guided intubation under light sedation in the prone position. Conclusions Our clinical experience with anesthesia management in this patient suggests that for patients with full stomachs and spinal cord injuries caused by stab wounds, excellent staged airway surface anesthesia and appropriate sedation can effectively facilitate tracheal intubation in the prone position, minimizing patient injury caused by positional changes.