Airway Management in Emergency Department

Abstract

AbstractEmergency airway management is one of the most important resuscitative procedures performed in the emergency room (ED). Despite the clinical and research importance of intubation in the management of critically ill and injured patients, previous studies have reported inadequate intubation performance and significant adverse event rates, with wide variation amongst emergency departments (EDs). Emergency airway management in the ED can be difficult for the emergency physician due to multiple ED-specific factors, such as vomiting, facial/neck trauma, immobilised cervical spine, and chest compressions for resuscitation, which influence intubation success and failure. To accomplish timely and successful intubation of these ED patients at high risk, it is crucial to comprehend the current evidence on emergency airway management. This chapter discusses the airway management processes, including evaluation of the difficult airway, preparation (e.g., positioning and oxygenation), intubation methods (e.g., rapid sequence intubation), medications (e.g., premedications, sedatives, and neuromuscular blockades), devices (e.g., direct and video laryngoscopy and supraglottic devices), and rescue intubation strategies (e.g., airway adjuncts and rescue in (i.e., trauma, cardiac arrest, and paediatric patients).