Airway Management Flashcards
Airway anatomy
- resistance to airflow through nasal passages accounts for approximately 2/3 of total airway resistance
- pharyngeal airway extends from posterior aspect of the nose to cricoid cartilage
- glottic opening (triangular space formed between the true vocal cords) is the narrowest segment of the laryngeal opening in adults
- the glottic opening is the space through which one visualizes proper placement of the ETT
- the trachea begins at the level of the thyroid cartilage, C6, and bifurcates into the right and left main bronchi at T4-T5 (approximately the sternal angle)
Methods of supporting airways
- non-definitive airway (patent airway)
■ jaw thrust/chin lift
■ oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airway
■ bag mask ventilation
■ LMA - definitive airway (patent and protected airway)
■ ETT
■ surgical airway (cricothyrotomy or tracheostomy)
Bag and Mask advantages/indications
Basic
Non-invasive
Readily available
Bag and Mask disadvantages/contraindications
Risk of aspiration if decreased LOC
Cannot ensure airway patency
Inability to deliver precise tidal volume
Operator fatigue
Bag and Mask other
Facilitate airway patency with jaw thrust and chin lift
Can use oropharyngeal/ nasopaharyngeal airway
Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) advantages/indications
Easy to insert
Less airway trauma/irritation than ETT
Frees up hands (vs. face mask)
Primarily used in spontaneously ventilating patient
Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) disadvantages/contraindications
Risk of gastric aspiration
PPV <20 cm H20 needed
Oropharyngeal/retropharyngeal pathology or foreign body
Does not protect against laryngospasm or gastric aspiration
Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) sizing
Sizing by body weight (approx)
40-50 kg: 3
50-70 kg: 4
70-100 kg: 5
Endotracheal tube (ETT) advantages/indications
Indications for intubation (5Ps)
Patent airway
Protects against aspiration
Positive pressure ventilation
Pulmonary toilet (suction)
Pharmacologic administration
also hemodynamic instability
Endotracheal tube (ETT) disadvantages/contraindications
Insertion can be difficult
Muscle relaxant usually needed
Most invasive
Endotracheal tube (ETT) other
Auscultate to avoid endobronchial intubation
ETT sizing
intubation Sizing (approx):
Male: 8.0-9.0 mm
Female: 7.0-8.0 mm Pediatric Uncuffed (>age 2) (age/4) + 4 mm
Equipment required for intubation
MDSOLES
Monitors
Drugs
Suction
Oxygen source and self-inflating bag with oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways
Laryngoscope
Endotracheal tubes (appropriate size and one size smaller)
Stylet, Syringe for tube cuff inflation
Medications that can be given through the ETT
NAVEL Naloxone Atropine Ventolin Epinephrine Lidocaine
Preparing for ETT intubation
- failed attempts at intubation can make further attempts more difficult due to tissue trauma
- plan, prepare, and assess for potential difficulties (see Pre-Operative Assessment, A2)
- ensure equipment is available and working (test ETT cuff, check laryngoscope light and suction, machine check)
- pre-oxygenate/denitrogenate: patient breathes 100% O2 for 3-5 min or for 4-8 vital capacity breaths
- may need to suction mouth and pharynx first
Proper positioning for intubation
• align the three axes (mouth, pharynx, and larynx) to allow visualization from oral cavity to glottis
■ “sniffing position”: flexion of lower C-spine (C5 C6), bow head forward, and extension of upper C-spine at atlanto-occipital joint (C1), nose in the air
■ contraindicated in known/suspected C-spine fracture/instability
• laryngoscope tip placed in the epiglottic vallecula in order to visualize cord
Tube insertion
• laryngoscopy and ETT insertion can incite a significant sympathetic response via stimulation of cranial nerves 9 and 10 due to a “foreign body reflex” in the trachea, including tachycardia, dysrhythmias, myocardial ischemia, increased BP, and coughing
• a malpositioned ETT is a potential hazard for the intubated patient
■ if too deep, may result in right endobronchial intubation, which is associated with left-sided atelectasis and right-sided tension pneumothorax
■ if too shallow, may lead to accidental extubation, vocal cord trauma, or laryngeal paralysis as a result of pressure injury by the ETT cuff
• the tip of ETT should be located at the midpoint of the trachea at least 2 cm above the carina and the proximal end of the cuff should be placed at least 2 cm below the vocal cords
■ approximately 20-23 cm mark at the right corner of the mouth for men and 19-21 cm for women
Confirmation of tracheal placement of ett
• direct
■ visualization of ETT passing through cords
■ bronchoscopic visualization of ETT in trachea
• indirect
■ ETCO2 in exhaled gas measured by capnography – a mandatory method for confirming the ETT is in the airway
■ auscultate for equal breath sounds bilaterally and absent breath sounds over epigastrium
■ bilateral chest movement, condensation of water vapour in ETT visible during exhalation and no abdominal distention
■ refilling of reservoir bag during exhalation
■ CXR (rarely done): only confirms position of the tip of ETT and not that ETT is in the trachea