The difficult airway is the most important cause of anaesthesia related morbidity and mortality.
Most catastrophes are due to unexpected difficulty.
Airway assessment aims to predict:
- Difficult mask ventilation (with or without adjuncts/aids)
- Difficult placement of LMA Difficult intubation
- Difficult surgical access to trachea (rarely required)
The identification of a possible difficult airway allows time to plan appropriate anaesthetic techniques and ensure extra help is available.
Question: What are the five complications of airway management?
The difficult airway is the most important cause of anaesthesia related morbidity and mortality.
Most catastrophes are due to unexpected difficulty.
Airway assessment aims to predict:
- Difficult mask ventilation (with or without adjuncts/aids)
- Difficult placement of LMA Difficult intubation
- Difficult surgical access to trachea (rarely required)
The identification of a possible difficult airway allows time to plan appropriate anaesthetic techniques and ensure extra help is available.
Question: What are the five complications of airway management?
Answer: Poor management of the difficult airway can result in:
- Dental trauma
- Airway trauma
- Pulmonary aspiration
- Hypoxia
- Death