Successful intubation with a flexible optical stylet in a patient with predictors of difficult airway using pharyngeal clearance technique with a laryngoscope: A case report

General anesthesia (GA) is associated with risks, including inadequate ventilation, which significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality. A difficult airway (DA) is characterized by the inability to achieve adequate ventilation and occurs in 1.2 to 3.8% of adults undergoing GA. Although laryngoscopy is the standard method for intubation, alternatives, such as video laryngoscopy and optical stylets (OS) are particularly valuable in DA cases. The present study describes the case of a 61-year-old female patient with a history of diabetes, hypertension and thyroid cancer who underwent surgery for tumor resection following cancer recurrence. Given the presence of a DA, intubation was successfully performed using a flexible OS with a pharyngeal clearance technique. Anesthesia was maintained with desflurane and fentanyl, and the procedure proceeded smoothly with minimal blood loss. The patient remained hemodynamically stable throughout the surgery and was extubated awake without complications. The present case report highlights the successful intubation of a patient with a predicted DA using an OS and a pharyngeal clearance technique. The OS provides several advantages, including reduced autonomic stimulation, portability and cost-effectiveness. However, further research on intubation times is required to refine this approach and facilitate its comparison with other methods in clinical practice.