Airway & Ventilatory management Flashcards
What are the causes of preventable death from airway compromise?
- Inadequate airway assessment
- Inability to secure airway
- Failure to recognize the need for intervention
- Inadequate planning
- Failure to recognize misplaced ETT
- Loss of previously established airway
A combative patient could be showing signs of ?
- Airway compromise / Hypoxia
- Head injury
- ## Intoxication
When a patient is obtunded, what could this represent?
- Hypercarbia
- Cyanosis - Late sign
What are the steps of assessing an airway ?
- Look
- Listen
- Feel
What are the possible observations that could be obtained when you “Look”?
- Head or neck injury
- Sore throat
- Tachypnoea
- Agitation
- Cheyne-stokes or rocking respiration
- Low saturation
- Tracheal deviation
What are the possible observations that could be obtained when you “Listen”?
- Change in voice
- Noisy breathing
- Absent breath sound
What are the possible observations that could be obtained when you “Feel”?
- Subcutaneous emphysema
- Head or neck injury
What patients are at risk of airway compromise ?
- Patients with low GCS
- ETOH or drug induced low GCS
- Thoracic injury
- Facial burns
- Potential inhalation injury
What are the signs and symptoms of laryngeal fracture?
- Hoarseness
- S/C emphysema
- Palpable fracture
What is the meaning of the LEMON pneumonic ?
- Look - Indication of difficult airway
- Evaluate - 3-3-2 rule
- Malampati - 1-4
- Obstruction - Peritonsillar abscess, epiglottitis & trauma
- Neck mobility
Malampati classification?
1 = Soft palate, uvula, fauces & pillar
2 = Soft palate, uvula & fauces
3 = Soft palate & base of uvula
4 = Hard palate only
Surgical airway in the paediatric group?
Not recommended for children under 12yo
Confirmation of adequacy of ventilation?
- CO2
- Blood gas analysis
Indication for RSI?
- Airway control
- Intact gag reflex
- Head injury
What are the indications for surgical airway?
- Oedema of the glottis
- Laryngeal fracture
- Oropharyngeal haemorrhage
