Airway

“Airway” does not necessarily mean “Intubation”

Introduction

  • In emergency medicine we are taught “A-B-Cs”
    • These are actions that can be accomplished in first 60 seconds of patient encounter
      • Intubation takes several minutes to accomplish
      • Intubating a crashing patient might even KILL them!
    • Resuscitate THEN intubate

Step 1: Suction

  • Immediately suction if patient is…
    • Altered and vomiting
    • Gurgling

Step 2: Move the Tongue

  • Bedside maneuvers
    • Head tilt
    • Chin lift
    • Jaw thrust
  • Adjunct equipment
    • Oropharyngeal airway
    • Nasopharyngeal airway

Additional Reading

3 Comments

  1. K

    Hi Dr. Olson,

    Just wanted to stop by and say thanks! This podcast is great. I’ve recommended it to several of my classmates that are interested in EM. My home EM sub-i is in 2 months, so this is perfect timing to make sure I’m ready to make a great impression.

  2. Zack

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words. Good luck on your rotation. I’ll work hard to get some more core presentations out in the next few months. I just need to tweak the upcoming episodes a bit more. Is there a specific topic you would like me to do? Shoot me an email if you have any more feedback or questions about EM.

  3. John Bennis

    Hi Doc Z
    Good job!!!!!!
    I learned a lot.
    Thanks

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