Difficult airway situations are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and malpractice claims in anesthetic practice and other critical care settings. Although infrequent, they are serious and complex situations where ...Difficult airway situations are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and malpractice claims in anesthetic practice and other critical care settings. Although infrequent, they are serious and complex situations where many variables interact. Among these variables, quick and accurate rescuer decision-making is a major outcome determinant. Emerging evidence, recent advances in technology and development of new devices have provided new tools to deal with the problem, but still, basic underlying principles of management remain. Based on the available evidence and expert consensus, multiple guidelines and algorithms have been published, but they may have limited applicability, contain confusing and ambiguous recommendations or address very specific clinical situations. This narrative review attempts to summarize, organize and consolidate current trends and supported recommendations of the updated guidelines in one practical, concise and unified guide, proposing a simple, intuitive and novel algorithm.展开更多
Digital intubation was discovered as one of the first methods to face a difficult airway without direct laryngoscopy. From the very beginning, this technique has been surrounded by much controversy, mainly because it ...Digital intubation was discovered as one of the first methods to face a difficult airway without direct laryngoscopy. From the very beginning, this technique has been surrounded by much controversy, mainly because it required to be performed by an expert. Nowadays, it remains a useful technique when treating patients with difficult airways, so it is of utmost importance all personnel involved with airway management must know and perfect this technique when scenarios where conventional laryngoscopy or rescue devices for difficult airway are not available or contraindicated. The present work’s main objective is to suggest digital intubation as a safe and effective technique for the management of patients with difficult airways when there are no other devices available. The authors present a successful case of digital intubation on a patient with a difficult airway, demonstrating this technique is useful when performed by expert practitioners and when there is no other equipment available.展开更多
文摘Difficult airway situations are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and malpractice claims in anesthetic practice and other critical care settings. Although infrequent, they are serious and complex situations where many variables interact. Among these variables, quick and accurate rescuer decision-making is a major outcome determinant. Emerging evidence, recent advances in technology and development of new devices have provided new tools to deal with the problem, but still, basic underlying principles of management remain. Based on the available evidence and expert consensus, multiple guidelines and algorithms have been published, but they may have limited applicability, contain confusing and ambiguous recommendations or address very specific clinical situations. This narrative review attempts to summarize, organize and consolidate current trends and supported recommendations of the updated guidelines in one practical, concise and unified guide, proposing a simple, intuitive and novel algorithm.
文摘Digital intubation was discovered as one of the first methods to face a difficult airway without direct laryngoscopy. From the very beginning, this technique has been surrounded by much controversy, mainly because it required to be performed by an expert. Nowadays, it remains a useful technique when treating patients with difficult airways, so it is of utmost importance all personnel involved with airway management must know and perfect this technique when scenarios where conventional laryngoscopy or rescue devices for difficult airway are not available or contraindicated. The present work’s main objective is to suggest digital intubation as a safe and effective technique for the management of patients with difficult airways when there are no other devices available. The authors present a successful case of digital intubation on a patient with a difficult airway, demonstrating this technique is useful when performed by expert practitioners and when there is no other equipment available.
