ABSTRACT
First introduced by Rowbotham and Magill in the 1920s, it was originally described in spontaneously breathing patients anaesthetised with an inhalational agent, but has been modified for intubating awake patients – with or without sedation. Since direct vision of the glottis is not necessary, it proved a useful technique in the management of patients with difficult airways. Blind nasal intubation has largely been superseded by fibre-optic intubation but remains a relevant and simple alternative in situations where a fibre-optic scope is not available or fibre-optic intubation has failed.
