Successful pre-emptive emergency management of a compromised airway with a Proseal™ Laryngeal Mask Airway followed by tracheostomy.

Following hemi-glossectomy and right neck dissection a 63-year-old female patient presented as an emergency with a large neck hematoma. There were significant concerns over difficulty in intubation and mask ventilation leading to deterioration into a cannot intubate cannot ventilate (CICV) situation. After careful discussion and planning with the surgical team, who planned a tracheostomy, the situation was salvaged using a ProSealTM Laryngeal Mask Airway (PLMA). The PLMA enabled rapid establishment of a clear airway early in anesthetic induction, controlled ventilation and safe airway maintenance during a difficult tracheostomy.