Awake intubating laryngeal mask airway placement in a morbidly obese patient with ankylosing spondylitis and unstable thoracic spine.

Intubating laryngeal mask airways can be used to provide continuous ventilation throughout intubation. This is a case of a morbidly obese (body mass index = 58) 65-year-old woman with T10 and T11 compression fractures. Optimal positioning for airway management was hindered by her unstable spine, minimal neck range of motion, and extreme pain with any movement.