Mask ventilation with proper airway maintenance is often performed during induction of general anesthesia. Recent epidemiology studies have reported various patient-specific characteristics as independent risk factors for mask ventilation. This article discusses the effects of obstructive sleep apnea on mask ventilation during induction of general anesthesia Mask ventilation (MV) is the only secure option for precise oxygenation in the case of difficult or impossible tracheal intubation.
Despite the clinical significance, there is no substantial advancement in the MV technique as compared with the significant improvement of tracheal intubation techniques and equipment in the last decades. Various patient characteristics have been identified as risk factors for MV and elucidation of the mechanisms of MV might facilitate the development of a new MV technique for safer airway management…
