Module 2b: Airway equipment

Question 1

What are the types of airway support?

Answer 1

spontaneous ventilation

mask ventilation

supraglottic airways

endotracheal intubation

tracheostomy

Question 2

Give 6 characteristics of a ETT?

Answer 2

 Made of polyvinyl chloride
 Are placed through the vocal cords
using a laryngoscope
 Have a cuff which can be inflated to
seal off the airway
 Provide protection against aspiration
 Patient can be ventilated or breathe
spontaneously
 Considered the gold standard of
airway management

Question 3

What is the armoured ETT?

Answer 3

Metal wiring embedded in wall of ETT, used in non-standard positions and in AWAKE NASAL FIBREOPTIC INTUBATION

Question 4

What are the 2 types of pre-formed(bent) ETTs/RAE tubes that you get

Answer 4

1. South facing/ORAL RAE: used in surgery of face, tonsilectomies and eye surgeries, easy to insert with predetermined depth
2. North facing/Nasal RAE: in the nose, more difficult, surgery of mouth, jaw or dental

Question 5

What are the 2 laryngoscope blades that you get

Answer 5

1. Curved Macintosh(more common)
2. Straight Miller (less common)

Question 6

What are the 3 indications for intubation?

Answer 6

1. Procedures requiring immobilization: thoracic or Abdo surgery or microsurgery
2. When artificial ventilation is required: long complex surgeries, respiratory failure
3. Securing the airway: unfasted patients, risk of aspiration, GCS<8, non-supine position

Question 7

What is the best known supraglottic airway and give characteristics?

Answer 7

LMA-Laryngeal mask airway

• on top of glottis
  -breathe spontaneously
• no reliable protection against aspiration
• used in short procedures + fasted patients
• used in emergencies as backup/rescue airway

Question 8

What must be in airway trolley?

Answer 8

EMAILS:

E – Endotracheal tubes (different sizes)
M – Masks (different sizes), Magill’s forceps
A – Airways (oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal)
I – Introducers (gum elastic bougie, stylets)
L – Laryngoscopes and LMAs
S – Suction, syringe

Question 9

What is a gum elastic bougie?

Answer 9

-introducer
-used in difficult intubation
- passed through glottis and ETT advances over it

Question 10

What is the name of suctioning device

Answer 10

yankauer

Question 11

What are OPA/Guedel airways

Answer 11

-assist in opening airway + relieving obstruction
- prevents tongue from covering epiglottis + back of pharynx
- used in assisting spontaneous breathing or in ETT
- AWAKE PATIENTS DO NOT TOLERATE

Question 12

What is a nasopharyngeal airway?

Answer 12

• same as OPA
  -prevents tongue from obstructing pharynx
  -useful if OPA fails
  USEFUL IN PATIENTS RECOVERING FROM ANAESTHEISA AT RISK OF SLEEP APNOEA