The difficult airway : a practical guide

Although a cornerstone of the practice of Anesthesiology, airway management is also frequently performed by emergency physicians, intensivists, and other clinicians. Because airway devices and techniques are constantly changing, trainees in these professions must achieve proficiency with a variety of instruments and methods, and even experienced practitioners should continually update their airway skills. This book provides practical guidance on improving the success rates of airway managers of all specialties who use modern airway devices and techniques. The book addresses various clinical scenarios in a user-friendly format that mimics the approach clinicians encounter at educational workshops. Sections address airway devices and techniques, awake intubation, algorithms of difficult airway management, pharmacologic adjuncts useful in airway management, equipment, preoxygenation, and patient positioning strategies to ensure effective airway management. The clinically applicable information in this book is augmented by a DVD containing video demonstrations of airway management techniques.