Remimazolam-based precision anesthesia management combined with nasopharyngeal airway in gastroscopic surgery for a patient with obesity and difficult airway: a successful case report

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Source: Frontiers Medicine

Original: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1762932...

Published: 2026-02-11T00:00:00Z

The case concerns a patient with obesity, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and airway difficulties who was at high risk for hypoxemia and deep sedation complications.[1][3] An initial attempt at gastroscopy was aborted due to propofol-induced respiratory complications, including significant coughing and severe hypoxemia.[1] The optimized anesthetic protocol included proactive establishment of upper airway patency using a lubricated nasopharyngeal conduit and careful induction of sedation using remimazolam, an ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine.[1] Remimazolam was chosen for its superior cardiorespiratory stability compared to other sedatives.[1] This strategy successfully maintained spontaneous ventilation and stable hemodynamics throughout the entire gastroscopy procedure.[1] Sedation could be immediately reversed with flumazenil, allowing rapid postoperative recovery.[1] The case demonstrates that the combination of remimazolam with a nasopharyngeal airway is a safe and effective option for high-risk patients with obesity and airway difficulties.