Submental intubation: alternative short-term airway management in maxillofacial trauma.

Objectives: To assess submental route intubation as an alternative technique to a tracheostomy in the management of the airway in cranio-maxillofacial trauma, along with an assessment of its morbidity and complications.

Materials And Methods: Submental intubation was performed in 17 patients who had maxillofacial panfacial trauma and management was done under general anesthesia during a period of one year from 2013 to 2014 at Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College, Kochi, India.

Results: In all 17 cases, the technique of submental intubation was found to be simple and reliable.