The ASA Task Force defined a difficult airway as The clinical situation in which a conventionally trained anesthesiologist experiences difficulty with mask ventilation, difficulty with tracheal intubation, or both.1 The Task Force further noted that the difficult airway represented a complex interaction between patient factors, the clinical ...
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This document updates the “Practice Guidelines for Management of the Difficult Airway: An Updated Report by the Task Force on Difficult Airway Management,” adopted by the ASA in 2002 and published in 2003.*1.
http://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/Article.aspx?articleid=1918684
an air route equipped with emergency landing fields, beacon lights, radio beams, etc. 2. a passageway by which air passes from the nose or mouth to the air sacs of the lungs. 3. Medicine/Medical. a tubelike device used to maintain adequate, unobstructed respiration, as during general anesthesia.
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A curved plastic device used to establish an airway in a patient by displacing the tongue from the posterior wall of the oropharynx. The device should be equal in length to the distance either from the corner of the mouth to the earlobe or from the center of the mouth to the angle of the jaw.
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The anesthesiologist should have a preformulated strategy for intubation of the difficult airway. The algorithm shown in figure 1 is a recommended strategy. This strategy will depend, in part, on the anticipated surgery, the condition of the patient, and the skills and preferences of the anesthesiologist.
http://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/Article.aspx?articleid=1918684
airway air·way (âr'wā') n. Any of the various parts of the respiratory tract through which air passes during breathing. A device used to gain an unobstructed route to convey air into and out of the lungs during general anesthesia or when the respiratory passage is blocked.
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I. Evaluation of the Airway. 1  An airway history should be conducted, whenever feasible, before the initiation of anesthetic care and airway management in all patients. The intent of the airway history is to detect medical, surgical, and anesthetic factors that may indicate the presence of a difficult airway.
http://anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.org/Article.aspx?articleid=1918684
By the end of the workshop, the participant will have developed initial skills and insights into the application of the lighted stylet, laryngeal mask airway, Combitube™, Bullard™ laryngscope, and transtracheal airway kits in the management of the difficult airway. 1. The Difficult Airway - Definition of Terms.
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It should not be used on alert or semiconscious patients, as it invariably stimulates the gag reflex and causes vomiting or injury to the jaw unless the patient is deeply unconscious. Selection of proper size is essential because an airway that is too short cannot lift the tongue away from the oropharynx.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/airway
1 a tubular passage for movement of air into and out of the lung. An airway with a diameter greater than 2 mm is defined as a large, or central, airway such as a mainstream bronchus; one smaller than 2 mm is considered a small, or peripheral, airway such as a terminal bronchus.
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/airway
difficult airway definition
A difficult airway is defined as the clinical situation in which a conventionally trained anesthesiologist experiences difficulty with mask ventilation, difficulty with tracheal intubation, or both.