That would've been
the perfect case for a
simple bougie, but
they weren't stocked
in the hospital at that
time."
There are some
preemptive steps
your surgical team
should always take
to reduce the risk of
airways. "Everybody
in the OR should
know where the diffi-
cult airway cart is
parked and where
specific supplies are
located inside it,"
says Dr. Charnin.
"That way, if anesthe-
sia is unable to step
away and gather
those materials, anybody in the OR can do it."
What tools should your anesthesia team have at its disposal for every
case, regardless of whether a difficult airway is anticipated? "They must
have the appropriate equipment needed to complete each step of the dif-
ficult airway algorithm," says Dr. Chang. "At a minimum, that's a supra-
glottic airway such as an LMA, standard laryngoscopy equipment, a
fiberoptic scope, a way to establish transtracheal ventilation (jet ventila-
tion) and a video laryngoscope."
J U L Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 5
• CONSTANT STREAM Instead of providing oxygenation in between airway man-
agement attempts, you should be providing oxygenation throughout the entire case.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
