Abstract
Airway management is often a difficult but vitally important skill in the ICU. The first responsibility of a practitioner assessing a critically ill patient is to assess the airway, and if any compromise or potential compromise is found, it must be dealt with as a first priority. Unlike a relatively healthy patient undergoing elective surgery, ICU patients frequently have a wide range of comorbidities, which limit physiology reserve. Therefore, when intubation in the ICU becomes necessary, it is very important for the entire care team to have an effective plan that involves both knowledge of the patient’s medical problems and understanding of the various techniques for airway management. Modern airway management has evolved with the introduction of novel supraglottic devices and newer techniques for facilitating endotracheal intubation. This chapter will focus on the management of the difficult airway (DA) and the role of alternative airway devices for managing failed ventilation and/or intubation. It will also discuss techniques for tube changes and extubation in the DA.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Practice guidelines for management of the difficult airway. An updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Management of the Difficult Airway. Anesthesiology. 2003;98:1269-1277.
Hillman DR, Platt PR, Eastwood PR. The upper airway during anaesthesia. Br J Anaesth. 2003;91(1):31-39.
Verghese C, Brimacombe JR. Survey of laryngeal mask airway usage in 11, 910 patients: safety and efficacy for conventional and nonconventional usage. Anesth Analg. 1996;82:129-133.
Ferson DB. Laryngeal mask airway. In: Hagberg CA, ed. Benumof’s Airway Management. 2nd ed. Elsevier: Mosby; 2007:476-501.
Cassel W. Advantages of a curved laryngoscope. Anesthesiology. 1942;3:580.
Latto IP, Stacey M, Mecklenburgh J, Vaughan RS. Survey of the use of the gum elastic bougie in clinical practice. Anaesthesia. 2002;57:379-384.
Lee CM, Yang HS. Case of difficult intubation overcome by the laryngeal mask airway. J Korean Med Sci. 1993;8:290-292.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reinhard, P., Osborn, I.P. (2010). Airway Management. In: Frankel, H., deBoisblanc, B. (eds) Bedside Procedures for the Intensivist. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79830-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79830-1_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-79829-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79830-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)