[Submental intubation in maxillofacial traumatology].

INTRODUCTION

Free access to the upper respiratory tract may be a challenge for the management of severe facial trauma. Tracheotomy is routinely used in this case. Submental intubation is little used, but it is an alternative to tracheotomy.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective study was made over 1 year. Sixteen patients with facial smash were included. Patients who had undergone an immediate tracheotomy or a long-term intubation were excluded. Submental intubation was used in all patients with the same protocol. The studied data was: operative time, duration of ventilator disconnection, postoperative complications, and scar assessment.

RESULTS

The average operative time was seven minutes. No speech disorder, hematoma, or postoperative infection was observed. The scar was barely visible in 13 cases out of 16.

DISCUSSION: Submental intubation seems to be a reliable, simple and easy to learn technique. A perfect knowledge of the local anatomy allows opening the airway without any risk of hematoma. Incision packing reduces the bacterial inoculum and infectious risk. The residual scarring is minimal.