Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Mar;57(3):110-7.
doi: 10.11622/smedj.2016050.

Anaesthetic management of acute airway obstruction

Patrick Wong  1 , Jolin Wong  1 , May Un Sam Mok  1
Affiliations
Review

Anaesthetic management of acute airway obstruction

Patrick Wong et al. Singapore Med J. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

The acutely obstructed airway is a medical emergency that can potentially result in serious morbidity and mortality. Apart from the latest advancements in anaesthetic techniques, equipment and drugs, publications relevant to our topic, including the United Kingdom's 4th National Audit Project on major airway complications in 2011 and the updated American Society of Anesthesiologists' difficult airway algorithm of 2013, have recently been published. The former contained many reports of adverse events associated with the management of acute airway obstruction. By analysing the data and concepts from these two publications, this review article provides an update on management techniques for the acutely obstructed airway. We discuss the principles and factors relevant to the decision-making process in formulating a logical management plan.

Keywords: airway obstruction; goitre; intratracheal; intubation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chart shows airway management strategy for acute airway obstruction using a template for Plans A, B and C. Movement may take place from Plan A to Plan C depending on patient and operator factors (broken arrow). AFOI: awake fibreoptic intubation; CICV: cannot intubate, cannot ventilate; CPB: cardiopulmonary bypass.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gray AJ, Hoile RW, Ingram GS, Sherry KM. The Report of the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths 1996/1997. London: NCEPOD; 1998.
    1. Mason RA, Fielder CP. The obstructed airway in head and neck surgery. Anaesthesia. 1999;54:625–8. - PubMed
    1. Royal College of Anaesthetists. 4th National Audit Project:Major Complications of Airway Management in the UK. London: Royal College of Anaesthetists; 2011.
    1. Apfelbaum JL, Hagberg CA, Caplan RA, et al. American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Management of the Difficult Airway. Practice guidelines for management of the difficult airway:an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Management of the Difficult Airway. Anesthesiology. 2013;118:251–70. - PubMed
    1. Henderson JJ, Popat MT, Latto IP, Pearce AC. Difficult Airway Society. Difficult Airway Society guidelines for management of the unanticipated difficult intubation. Anaesthesia. 2004;59:675–94. - PubMed