Abstract
Several authors have previously published studies on pre-oxygenation using a mouthpiece 1, 2. We would like to remind readers of the utility of this technique for pre-oxygenating patients who find close-fitting facemasks alarmingly claustrophobic. Using a standard mouthpiece (Intersurgical Ltd, Wokingham, UK) routinely used in obstetric patients for inhaling oxygen/nitrous oxide mixtures, which is detached from the filter it is usually supplied with and attached to the catheter mount of an anaesthetic breathing circuit (Fig. 3), allows for suitable pre-oxygenation when the patient forms a seal around the mouthpiece with their lips and inspires normal tidal ventilations with a fresh gas flow of 10 l.min−1 and an FiO2 of 1.0. The mouthpiece is changed to a standard anaesthetic mask following induction of general anaesthesia, once pre-oxygenation is complete.
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