Difficult Airway

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina G. Ilic
Keyword(s):  
Airway Management ◽  
Difficult Airway ◽  
Awake Intubation ◽  
Supraglottic Airway ◽  
Patient Evaluation ◽  
Advanced Airway ◽  
Supraglottic Airway Devices ◽  
Surgical Airway ◽  
Airway Exchange ◽  
Airway Devices

The difficult airway chapter focuses on preparing the clinician for a challenging airway. Management of both the expected, as well as the unexpected, difficult airway is critical to the care of the perioperative patient. Proper patient evaluation, organization, and preparation with a variety of airway tools are imperative to successfully securing the airway. The chapter reviews the difficult airway algorithm and discusses advanced airway techniques such as the use of awake intubation, airway exchange catheters, supraglottic airway devices, and surgical airway. Gaining familiarity with and using these advanced airway techniques in non-urgent situations will help ensure success when they are needed in emergencies.

Perception and success rate of using advanced airway management by hospital-based paramedics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-30
Author(s):  
Amani Alenazi ◽  
Bashayr Alotaibi ◽  
Najla Saleh ◽  
Abdullah Alshibani ◽  
Meshal Alharbi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Airway Management ◽  
Success Rate ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Supraglottic Airway ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Advanced Airway ◽  
Supraglottic Airway Devices

Objective: The study aimed to measure the success rate of pre-hospital tracheal intubation (TI) and supraglottic airway devices (SADs) performed by paramedics for adult patients and to assess the perception of paramedics of advanced airway management.Method: The study consisted of two phases: phase 1 was a retrospective analysis to assess the TI and SADs’ success rates when applied by paramedics for adult patients aged >14 years from 2012 to 2017, and phase 2 was a distributed questionnaire to assess paramedics’ perception of advanced airway management.Result: In phase 1, 24 patients met our inclusion criteria. Sixteen (67%) patients had TI, of whom five had failed TI but then were successfully managed using SADs. The TI success rate was 69% from the first two attempts compared to SADs (100% from first attempt). In phase 2, 63/90 (70%) paramedics responded to the questionnaire, of whom 60 (95%) completed it. Forty-eight (80%) paramedics classified themselves to be moderately or very competent with advanced airway management. However, most of them (80%) performed only 1‐5 TIs or SADs a year.Conclusion: Hospital-based paramedics (i.e. paramedics who are working at hospitals and not in the ambulance service, and who mostly respond to small restricted areas in Saudi Arabia) handled few patients requiring advanced airway management and had a higher competency level with SADs than with TI. The study findings could be impacted by the low sample size. Future research is needed on the success rate and impact on outcomes of using pre-hospital advanced airway management, and on the challenges of mechanical ventilation use during interfacility transfer.

scholarly journals The Difficult Airway Trolley: A Narrative Review and Practical Guide

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin F. Bjurström ◽  
Mikael Bodelsson ◽  
Louise W. Sturesson
Keyword(s):  
Airway Management ◽  
Difficult Airway ◽  
Airway Device ◽  
Supraglottic Airway ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Airway Equipment ◽  
National Expert ◽  
Airway Devices ◽  
Facemask Ventilation

Death and severe morbidity attributable to anesthesia are commonly associated with failed difficult airway management. When an airway emergency develops, immediate access to difficult airway equipment is critical for implementation of rescue strategies. Previously, national expert consensus guidelines have provided only limited guidance for the design and setup of a difficult airway trolley. The overarching aim of the current work was to create a dedicated difficult airway trolley (for patients>12 years old) for use in anesthesia theatres, intensive care units, and emergency departments. A systematic literature search was performed, using the PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar search engines. Based on evidence presented in 11 national or international guidelines, and peer-reviewed journals, we present and outline a difficult airway trolley organized to accommodate sequential progression through a four-step difficult airway algorithm. The contents of the top four drawers correspond to specific steps in the airway algorithm (A = intubation, B = oxygenation via a supraglottic airway device, C = facemask ventilation, and D = emergency invasive airway access). Additionally, specialized airway equipment may be included in the fifth drawer of the proposed difficult airway trolley, thus enabling widespread use. A logically designed, guideline-based difficult airway trolley is a vital resource for any clinician involved in airway management and may aid the adherence to difficult airway algorithms during evolving airway emergencies. Future research examining the availability of rescue airway devices in various clinical settings, and simulation studies comparing different types of difficult airway trolleys, are encouraged.

scholarly journals Airway Management in Athletes Wearing Lacrosse Equipment

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Bowman ◽  
Richard J. Boergers ◽  
Monica R. Lininger
Keyword(s):  
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽  
Airway Management ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Ventilation Rate ◽  
Supraglottic Airway ◽  
Pharyngeal Airway ◽  
Supraglottic Airway Devices ◽  
Football Helmets ◽  
The Face ◽  
Airway Devices

Context:  Patient ventilation volume and rate have been found to be compromised due to the inability to seal a pocket mask over the chinstrap of football helmets. The effects of supraglottic airway devices such as the King LT and of lacrosse helmets on these measures have not been studied. Objective:  To assess the effects of different airway management devices and helmet conditions on producing quality ventilations while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on simulation manikins. Design:  Crossover study. Setting:  Simulation laboratory. Patients or Other Participants:  Thirty-six athletic trainers (12 men, 24 women) completed this study. Intervention(s):  Airway-management device (pocket mask, oral pharyngeal airway, King LT airway [KA]) and helmet condition (no helmet, Cascade helmet, Schutt helmet, Warrior helmet) served as the independent variables. Participant pairs performed 2 minutes of 2-rescuer cardiopulmonary resuscitation under 12 trial conditions. Main Outcome Measure(s):  Ventilation volume (mL), ventilation rate (ventilations/min), rating of perceived difficulty (RPD), and percentage of quality ventilations were the dependent variables. Results:  A significant interaction was found between type of airway-management device and helmet condition on ventilation volume and rate (F12,408 = 2.902, P < .0001). In addition, a significant interaction was noted between airway-management device and helmet condition on RPD scores (F6,204 = 3.366, P = .003). The no-helmet condition produced a higher percentage of quality ventilations compared with the helmet conditions (P ≤ .003). Also, the percentage of quality ventilations differed, and the KA outperformed each of the other devices (P ≤ .029). Conclusions:  The helmet chinstrap inhibited quality ventilation (rate and volume) in airway procedures that required the mask to be sealed on the face. However, the KA allowed quality ventilation in patients wearing a helmet with the chinstrap fastened. If a KA is not available, the helmet may need to be removed to provide quality ventilations.

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