WEEK 4 - Airway management Flashcards
Why is airway management important?
- Airway management is an essential step as a means of achieving both oxygenation and ventilation
- Failure to manage and maintain the airway can lead to neurological dysfunction and even death within minutes
- airway management is defined as the provision of a free and clear passage of air flow
- Obstruction of the airway may be partial or complete and may occur at any level from the nose to the trachea
How does a childs airway differ from an adults?
- Tongue is larger in proportion to mouth
- Pharynx is smaller
- Epiglottis is larger and floppier
- Larynx is more anterior and superior
- Narrowest at cricoid
- Trachea narrow and less rigid
Describe the tounge
A muscular organ in the mouth
Covered with moist, pink tissue called mucosa
Tiny bumps called papillae give the tongue its rough
texture.
Thousands of taste buds cover the surfaces of the
papillae.
The tongue is anchored to the mouth by webs of tough
tissue and mucosa.
The tether holding down the front of the tongue is called
the frenum.
In the back of the mouth, the tongue is anchored into the
hyoid bone.
Loss of tone can result in airway blockage.
What is the tongue anchored to?
Tongue is anchored into the hyoid bone
What anchors the tongue to the mouth?
Webs of tough tissue and mucosa
At what GCS does a patient usually lose their gag reflexy
approximately 9
What are common causes of Upper Airway Obstruction
- Tongue
- Foreign body airway occlusion
- Laryngeal Spasm
- Larygeal Oedema
- Trauma
What are the most common cause of airway obstruction?
- Laxity of the tongue and other supporting muscles accompanying the decreased level of consciousness
- Vomitting into the upper airway with a loss of gag reflex
There is greater incidence of choking with elderly patients with neurological impairment such as:
- Muscular weakness (e.g MS, age)
- Past stroke
- Dysphagia - difficulty swallowing
- Depressed gag/cough reflec
Additional choking risk factors:
- Cough suppressants
- Poor detention or poorly fitting dentures
- Sedatives
- Alcohol
Groups at higher risk of choking
- Old age
- Children under 4
Why are children at greater risk of choking?
- Smaller airways
- put more shit in their mouth
- Swallowing and clearing mechanisms are less developed
- Young infants cannot control or easily change body position
- Unable to avoid clear an obstruction
What is laryngeal spasms
Essentially the involuntary spasm of vocal cords
What is laryngeal oedema
A swelling of the larynx
WHat does airway management mean un emergency care?
achieveing both oxygenation and ventilation
