TMJ Support Group
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ syndrome, is an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment.
Some of have difficult cases and might find this helpful, others might not....I recently found out that Fiber-Optics is the better type of procedure to use, you barely open your mouth, this is a newer option.
Those of us with TMJDs unique problems
when having to undergo general anesthesia for surgery need special care. Since we generally cannot open our jaws properly, or keep them open for an extended period of time, the anesthesiologist has great difficulty trying to sedate us.
But we have options for mitigating the situation. First and foremost, we need to be our own patient advocate. Next, consider the following suggestions:
If you are not already wearing a MedicAlert bracelet or pendant, go to http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx or call 1-800-432-5378 to obtain an application.
Alert your family and/or friends to your oral disability.
Obtain and make multiple copies (so that you always have one with you) of the Anesthesia & Me Checklist at http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation.htm from the American Society of Anesthesiologists or call 1-847-825-5586. This checklist enumerates every possible problem that can interfere with your intubation.
To determine if your surgeon and anesthesiologist are board-certified, go to www.abms.org or 1-866-ASK-ABMS. In New York state you can refer to http://www.nydoctorprofile.com/search_parameters.jsp.
If you are having elective surgery, discuss with your surgeon all the medical issues that might affect your intubation.
Prior to surgery, arrange a phone call or visit with the anesthesiologist to discuss your anesthisia options and alert him or her to your TMJD problems.
As an alternative, and depending upon the length of your surgery, you may want to discuss spinal or epidural anesthesia. However, these alternatives may cause more serious problems than throat intubation. For a discussion in laymans terms of general anesthesia go to www.healthopedia.com/intubation/.
In teaching hospitals residents who are going to specialize in anesthesiology may actually do the intubation. If you would prefer not to have a resident anesthesiologist assigned to your case, add that requirement to the surgical consent form.
Some community hospitals employ nurse anesthetists and board-certified anesthesiologists are not available. If you are having major surgery, consider having your operation in a larger hospital with board-certified anesthesiologists.
If you are asked to sign additional paperwork in the pre-op area, make sure you fully understand the terms of what you are signing. If possible, ask that a family member be allowed in the pre-op area to be your health care advocate. Besides the links mentioned above, you may find the following links helpful, especially since they underscore the need of thorough pre-anesthesia assessment:
www.achi.com/support/inthewuscope.htm. Ask the anesthesiologist if he or she is going to use this device pre-op to measure whether intubation with TMJ is possible.
http://web.nmsu.edu/~lleeper/pages/Voice/moreno/types_of_intubation.htm. This is a laymans article on the procedures of intubation and when the different types of intubation should be used.
Those of us with TMJDs unique problems
when having to undergo general anesthesia for surgery need special care. Since we generally cannot open our jaws properly, or keep them open for an extended period of time, the anesthesiologist has great difficulty trying to sedate us.
But we have options for mitigating the situation. First and foremost, we need to be our own patient advocate. Next, consider the following suggestions:
If you are not already wearing a MedicAlert bracelet or pendant, go to http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx or call 1-800-432-5378 to obtain an application.
Alert your family and/or friends to your oral disability.
Obtain and make multiple copies (so that you always have one with you) of the Anesthesia & Me Checklist at http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation.htm from the American Society of Anesthesiologists or call 1-847-825-5586. This checklist enumerates every possible problem that can interfere with your intubation.
To determine if your surgeon and anesthesiologist are board-certified, go to www.abms.org or 1-866-ASK-ABMS. In New York state you can refer to http://www.nydoctorprofile.com/search_parameters.jsp.
If you are having elective surgery, discuss with your surgeon all the medical issues that might affect your intubation.
Prior to surgery, arrange a phone call or visit with the anesthesiologist to discuss your anesthisia options and alert him or her to your TMJD problems.
As an alternative, and depending upon the length of your surgery, you may want to discuss spinal or epidural anesthesia. However, these alternatives may cause more serious problems than throat intubation. For a discussion in laymans terms of general anesthesia go to www.healthopedia.com/intubation/.
In teaching hospitals residents who are going to specialize in anesthesiology may actually do the intubation. If you would prefer not to have a resident anesthesiologist assigned to your case, add that requirement to the surgical consent form.
Some community hospitals employ nurse anesthetists and board-certified anesthesiologists are not available. If you are having major surgery, consider having your operation in a larger hospital with board-certified anesthesiologists.
If you are asked to sign additional paperwork in the pre-op area, make sure you fully understand the terms of what you are signing. If possible, ask that a family member be allowed in the pre-op area to be your health care advocate. Besides the links mentioned above, you may find the following links helpful, especially since they underscore the need of thorough pre-anesthesia assessment:
www.achi.com/support/inthewuscope.htm. Ask the anesthesiologist if he or she is going to use this device pre-op to measure whether intubation with TMJ is possible.
http://web.nmsu.edu/~lleeper/pages/Voice/moreno/types_of_intubation.htm. This is a laymans article on the procedures of intubation and when the different types of intubation should be used.
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