Difficult Airway Management

Author: Jonathan M Jones / Editor: Steve Fordham / Reviewer: Mohamed Elwakil / Codes: / Published: 10/05/2021

By the end of this session you will be able to:

  • Judge when an airway may be difficult or may become difficult
  • Prepare the equipment that may be necessary
  • Rehearse a strategy for failed intubation
  • Plan a clear process for managing ‘can’t intubate can’t ventilate’ situations

References:

  1. Walls RM, Murphy MF editors. Manual of emergency airway management. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
  2. (Same as 1)
  3. Mort TC. The incidence and risk factors for cardiac arrest during emergency tracheal intubation: a justification for incorporating the ASA Guidelines in the remote location. J Clin Anesth 2004; 16:508516
  4. Nee PA, Benger J, Walls RM. Airway management. Emerg Med J 2008;25:98-102
  5. Ollerton JE, Parr MJA, Harrison K, Hanrahan B, Sugrue M. Potential cervical spine injury and difficult airway management for emergency intubation of trauma adults in the emergency department a systematic review. Emerg Med J 2006;23:3-11
  6. Khertepal S, Han R, Tremper K, Shanks A, Tait A, OReilly M, Ludwig T. Incidence and predictors of difficult and impossible mask ventilation. Anesthesiology 2006;105(5):885-891
  7. Langeron O, Masso E, Huraux C, Guggiari M, Bianchi A, Coriat P, Riou, B. Prediction of difficult mask ventilation. Anesthesiology. 2000;92:12291236
  8. Levitan RM , Everett WW , Ochroch EA . Limitations of difficult airway prediction in the emergency department . Ann Emerg Med . 2004;44:307313
  9. Benger J, Nolan J, Clancy M eds. Emergency Airway Management. Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780511451591
  10. Yentis S, Predicting trouble in airway management (editorial view). Anesthesiology;2006:871-872
  11. Carley SD, Gwinnutt C, Butler J, Sammy I, Driscoll P. Rapid sequence induction in the emergency department: a strategy for failure. Emerg Med J 2002:19:109-113.
  12. Shehzad A and Cadogan M, Mallampati Score. Life in the FastLane, 2020.
  13. Nickson Ch, Direct versus Video Laryngoscopy. Life in the FastLane, 2020.
  14. Weingart S, Podcast 94 Has Video Laryngoscopy Killed the Direct Laryngoscope?. EMCrit. March 3, 2013. [Accessed on January 7th 2021].

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