Airway Management in Trauma

Finbar O'Sullivan

Approaching Head and Neck Trauma Airway

Main teaching point for airway trauma

Two Groups In Head And Neck Trauma

Are they cooperative or uncooperative?

Is this a time critical or a not time critical airway?

Uncooperative time critical airway. The only fall back at this point is the DAS-ICU guidance with the fibre-optic scope (ambu scope)

The caveat for progessing to front of neck access is in what to do with to tracheal and tracheobronchial injury.

What to do here is these tracheal injuries is place the tube at the entrance of the cords and don't progess it further. Stop. Advance fiber optic scope past the lesion so you can then advance the tube far enough (potentially single lung)

Don't go for double lumen tube in airway trauma. Practical difficulties and unfamiliar kit.

Last thing is the systematic reiew of the anaesthetic management of the trauma in airway stuff.