S5E11 Prone Positioning

In this episode of Airwayve, join Jenny and Alex as they discuss patients receiving prone positioning in the OR. We first start with the basics- what prone positioning looks like, how patients are safely flipped, and which surgeries require it. From there, we unpack the physiologic changes across cardiac, respiratory, and neurologic systems, and dive into the major complications anesthetists need to anticipate, including peripheral nerve injury, postoperative vision loss, airway challenges, and line access issues.

To bring it all together, we walk through a clinical case of a patient undergoing complex spine surgery, applying these principles to real-world anesthetic planning, intraoperative management, and emergence considerations.

Whether you’re preparing for your OR rotation or brushing up on perioperative physiology, this episode will give you a clear, structured framework for thinking about anesthetic management in prone positioning.

Credits
Writers: Alexander Xiang, Jenny Xinye Hu
Editors: Alexander Xiang, Jenny Xinye Hu
Resident Editor: Dr. Jonathan Wu
Staff Reviewer: Dr. Juan Bravo Montilla