Background: Giant lip hemangioma is a rare disease that may cause difficulty in preoxygenation and ventilation when using face masks and intubation during general anesthesia induction.
Case: A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was planned for a 77-year-old woman. The patient had a giant lower lip hemangioma that was 12 x 5 x 5 cm, which made preoxygenation and ventilation through a face mask impossible and put her at risk of hemangioma rupture. We preoxygenated her through a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC). Following propofol and succinylcholine administration, we intubated the patient with a video laryngoscope without desaturation, hemangioma rupture, or CO2 retention.
Conclusions: HFNC is a useful tool when difficult intubation is expected in patients who have problems using conventional face masks.
Keywords: Airway management; Cannula; Continuous positive airway pressure; General anesthesia; Hemangioma; Mouth neoplasms.