Airway difficulties are a major concern for anesthesiologists. Even though fiberoptic intubation is the generally accepted method for management of difficult airways, it is not without disadvantages-requires patient cooperation, and cannot be performed on soiled airway or upper airways with pre-existing narrowing pathology. Additionally, fiberoptic bronchoscopy is not available at every medical institution. In this case, we encountered difficult airway management in a 71-year-old man with a high Mallampati grade and a thick neck who had undergone urologic surgery. Several attempts, including a bronchoscope-guided intubation, were unsuccessful. Finally, blind nasal intubation was successful while the patient's neck was flexed and the tracheal cartilage was gently pressed down. We suggest that blind nasal intubation is a helpful alternative in difficult airway management and it can be a lifesaving technique in emergencies. Additionally, its simplicity makes it a less expensive option when advanced airway technology (fiberoptic bronchoscopy) is unavailable.
Aged ; Airway Management ; Bronchoscopy ; Cartilage ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Methods ; Neck ; Pathology ; Patient Compliance ; Soil

Airway difficulties are a major concern for anesthesiologists. Even though fiberoptic intubation is the generally accepted method for management of difficult airways, it is not without disadvantages-requires patient cooperation, and cannot be performed on soiled airway or upper airways with pre-existing narrowing pathology. Additionally, fiberoptic bronchoscopy is not available at every medical institution. In this case, we encountered difficult airway management in a 71-year-old man with a high Mallampati grade and a thick neck who had undergone urologic surgery. Several attempts, including a bronchoscope-guided intubation, were unsuccessful. Finally, blind nasal intubation was successful while the patient's neck was flexed and the tracheal cartilage was gently pressed down. We suggest that blind nasal intubation is a helpful alternative in difficult airway management and it can be a lifesaving technique in emergencies. Additionally, its simplicity makes it a less expensive option when advanced airway technology (fiberoptic bronchoscopy) is unavailable.
Aged ; Airway Management ; Bronchoscopy ; Cartilage ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Methods ; Neck ; Pathology ; Patient Compliance ; Soil

We report the prenatal diagnosis of an unbalanced translocation between chromosome Y and chromosome 15 in a female fetus. Cytogenetic analysis of parental chromosomes revealed that the mother had a normal 46,XX karyotype, whereas the father exhibited a 46,XY,der(15)t(Y;15) karyotype. We performed cytogenetic analysis of the father's family as a result of the father and confirmed the same karyotype in his mother and brother. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and quantitative fluorescent-polymerase chain reaction analysis identified the breakpoint and demonstrated the absence of the SRY gene in female members. Thus, the proband inherited this translocation from the father and grandmother. This makes the prediction of the fetal phenotype possible through assessing the grandmother. Therefore, we suggest that conventional cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic methods, in combination with family history, provide informative results for prenatal diagnosis and prenatal genetic counseling.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15* ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Fathers ; Female* ; Fetus* ; Fluorescence ; Genes, sry ; Genetic Counseling ; Grandparents ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Karyotype ; Mothers ; Parents ; Phenotype ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations ; Siblings