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Airway Emergency Management
Airway Emergency Management
Management
Pat Melanson, MD
Safe airway management
airway evaluation
identification of the difficult airway
assessment of other clinical factors
selection of the likely most successful
plan of action
reasonable alternative plan
Algorithmic Approach to Airway
Management
Have a precompiled plan of airway
management ready for implementation as
clinical airway difficulties are encountered
develop a plan and a back-up plan
Practice guidelines for management of
the difficult airway
– ASA taskforce
– Anesthesiology 78 : 597 - 602, 1993
Emergency Airway
full stomach
altered level of consciousness
deteriorating cardiorespiratory
physiology
abnormal or distorted upper airway
anatomy
no time for pre-assessment or plan
Airway Assessment
compromise or threats
potentially difficult airway
The Three Pillars of Airway
Management
Patency ( airflow integrity )
Difficult laryngoscopy