A multidisciplinary approach for managing the infraglottic difficult airway

Management of a difficult airway caused by pathology below the glottic inlet is high-risk and requires a shared approach to airway management and surgical treatment. Access to the trachea requires a careful assessment of the airway since the end-point of laryngoscopy for infraglottic airway management is not visualization of the larynx for tube placement, but access to the laryngotracheal complex in cases where intubation may not be feasible, or if performed, may preclude surgical access.This work builds on the two curves and three columns model of laryngoscopy and presents a common framework for creating multidisciplinary shared-airway plans and presents existing and new devices and strategies that have, in recent years, improved airway management safety in this difficult patient group.
Source: Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Source Type: research