9 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 7
T
hey say anesthesia is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror.
"When confronted with a difficult airway, things can get
hairy and scary fast," says Melanie Susi, CRNA, of Cape
Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House, N.J.
Here are 12 practical pearls to help you manage difficult
airways so that near-catastrophes stay just that.
1. They're difficult to predict. A 2015 PubMed study revealed
that 93% of 3,391 difficult intubations were unanticipated. And when
difficult intubations were predicted? They happened only in 25% of
cases. "It's possible that everything looks good upon examination, but
as soon as you get in, problems arise," says Ms. Susi. "It's important to
remember that even the most unlikely patient can be the victim of an
They can be difficult to predict and frightening to manage. Here's what
you need to keep in mind. Diane Stopyra | Contributing Editor
12 Things You Don't Know
About Airway Emergencies
• GUESS GAME Nine out of 10
difficult intubations are unanticipated.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
