Effect of two regimens of fluid administration on airway edema in prone-position surgery

Surgeries in prone position expose a patient to multitude of complications including laryngeal edema which may be related to the volume of fluid administered. Administering larger volumes of fluid intraoperatively may contribute to significant tissue edema, leading many anesthesiologists to practice a restrictive fluid infusion strategy. Although previous studies have compared fluid infusion strategies, changes in airway dimensions leading to airway edema have not been extensively investigated. Here, we compared two fluid infusion regimens in patients undergoing spine surgery in the prone position, and assessed their association with airway edema by means of the cuff leak test (CLT).