| Abstract: | Airway management is central to anaesthesia for maxillofacial surgery. Not only is there a shared airway to contend with, difficult airways are frequently encountered. The main pathologies that present for surgery include trauma, infection, cancer and craniofacial deformities. All of these may present an airway challenge in either elective or emergency settings but a similar approach to the airway can be used in all these scenarios. Other surgical procedures include dental extractions, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis, salivary gland surgery and facial aesthetic surgery.It is vital that clear airway management plans including rescue plans are made at the outset. These must be communicated to the surgical and anaesthetic team in advance. Trauma is excluded as it will be covered in a separate review article. |
