Anesthesiology
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Review
Management of the difficult adult airway. With special emphasis on awake tracheal intubation.
Difficulty in managing the airway is the single most important cause of major anesthesia-related morbidity and mortality. Successful management of a difficult airway begins with recognizing the potential problem. All patients should be examined for their ability to open their mouth widely and for the structures visible upon mouth opening, the size of the mandibular space, and ability to assume the sniff position. ⋯ Eighty percent of the 127 references in this article were published after 1985. However, there is much more to learn with regard to recognition of the difficult airway, preparation of the patient for an awake intubation, new techniques of endotracheal intubation, and establishment of gas exchange in patients who cannot be intubated or ventilated by mask. As the anesthesiologist's ability to manage the difficult airway significantly improves, respiratory-related morbidity and mortality will decrease.