Confined Space Airway Management
Summary by: Ross Hofmeyr
Airway management in confined spaces conjures up images of intubating entrapped victims of motor vehicle crashes, but these challenges can be found from the bottom of caves and crevasses, inside road and air ambulances, during natural and man-made disasters and even in multiple areas of the hospital, such as cath labs and hybrid theatres. In this presentation, Ross addresses the locations and difficulties which can be anticipated, and then discusses the options, techniques and evidence available for managing airways in constrained places. Learning to cope (and then excel) in abnormal fashions and positions makes us better at managing airways in both emergency and routine situations. Ice-pick, BIADs, transillumination, inverted, tomahawk, reversed, blind, digital…if these words excite you, you need to come learn how getting into tight places will teach you how to get out of tight spots.
