Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
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Airway management involves far more than just proficiency with tracheal intubation techniques. There are several infraglottic techniques available and the method chosen will depend on the accessibility of equipment, the level of training and expertise, and the patient's specific injury or disease. Endotracheal intubation is most commonly performed by direct laryngoscopy. ⋯ Successful intubation, however, requires considerable experience, as in intubation techniques using flexible fibrescopes. Both the EasyTube and the Combitube serve as an infraglottic or a supraglottic airway. The tip of the EasyTube resembles the one of an endotracheal tube, whereas the Combitube is much more bulky.
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Anaesthesiologists, paediatricians, paediatric intensivists and emergency physicians are routinely challenged with airway management in children and infants. There are important differences from adult airway management as a result of specific features of paediatric anatomy and physiology, which are more relevant the younger the child. In addition, a number of inherited and acquired pathological syndromes have significant impact on airway management in this age group. ⋯ Important new studies have gathered evidence about risks and benefits of certain confounding variables for airway problems and specific techniques for solving them. Airway-related morbidity and mortality in children and infants during the perioperative period are still high, and only a thorough risk determination prior to and continuous attention during the procedure can reduce these risks. Appropriate preparation of the available equipment and frequent training in management algorithms for all personnel involved appear to be very important.
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Fiberoptic intubation of the spontaneously breathing patient is the gold standard and technique of choice for the elective management of a difficult airway. In the hands of the properly trained and experienced user, it is also an excellent 'plan B' alternative when direct laryngoscopy unexpectedly fails. ⋯ Portable fiberscopes can be used in remote settings, increasing patient safety. This review discusses current fiberoptic intubation techniques and their applications in the management of both the anticipated and unanticipated difficult airway.
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Securing and monitoring the airway are among the key requirements of appropriate therapy in emergency patients. Failures to secure the airways can drastically increase morbidity and mortality of patients within a very short time. Therefore, the entire range of measures needed to secure the airway in an emergency, without intermediate ventilation and oxygenation, is limited to 30-40 seconds. ⋯ The most commonly occurring adverse respiratory events are failure to intubate, failure to recognize oesophageal intubation, and failure to ventilate. Thus, it is essential that every anaesthesiologist working on the labour and delivery ward is comfortable with the algorithm for the management of failed intubation. The algorithm for emergency airway management describing the sequence of various procedures has to be adapted to internal standards and to techniques that are available.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2005
ReviewStrategies and algorithms for management of the difficult airway.
Management of the difficult airway is the most important patient safety issue in the practice of anaesthesia. Many national societies have developed algorithms and guidelines for management of the difficult airway. The key issues of this chapter are definition of terms, the advantages and disadvantages of the use of guidelines, and a comparison of different algorithms and guidelines for management of the most important clinical airway scenarios. Although there is no strong evidence of benefit for any specific strategy or algorithm for management of the difficult airway, there is strong agreement that a pre-planned strategy may lead to improved outcome.