Problem Statement
Laryngospasms present a substantial challenge in anesthesiology. They are involuntary contractions of laryngeal muscles that can lead to airway obstruction, which if untreated, can have severe consequences. Despite their significance, current common treatment methods for laryngospasms under anesthesia fall short of providing a safe, efficient, and uniformly effective solution.
Many of these current treatment approaches rely heavily on the practical skills of the operating physician. For instance, the Larson Maneuver, one common method for breaking laryngospasm, requires the anesthesiologist to apply a jaw thrust combined with bilateral pressure behind the ears. The success of this technique is subjective and highly dependent on the proficiency of the clinician, meaning the outcomes can vary greatly. This inconsistency not only poses a potential risk to the patient, but also adds unnecessary stress to the already demanding role of anesthesiologists.
In addition to the reliance on clinical skill, other existing treatments for laryngospasms often carry significant risks or side effects. Chemical and physical interventions, for example, are extremely invasive. Muscle paralytics are administered intravenously to relax the laryngeal muscles, and patients may need to be reintubated, both of which carry considerable risks and can lead to complications, prolonged recovery times, and discomfort for the patient.
Given these challenges, there exists an urgent and unmet need for a method to treat laryngospasms under anesthesia that does not solely depend on the anesthesiologist's skill and does not induce significant side effects. The development of such a solution would not only improve the safety and effectiveness of anesthesia practices but also substantially reduce patient risk and improve overall surgical outcomes.