Medical professionals working in the emergency department often encounter critical patients that require intubation during their resuscitation. However, to date, there are very few data available on the management of the difficult airway in the ED. In this regard, a recent study investigated the incidence, management, and outcomes of patients with predicted difficult airways in the ED. The investigators evaluated data prospectively collected on all patients intubated in an academic ED over the period of 1-year.
After each intubation, the operators were asked to complete an airway management data form and perform a pre-intubation difficult airway assessment that classified patients into a routine, challenging, or difficult airways. Key findings 456 non- arrest patients, who met the inclusion criteria, were involved in the study. Out of which 50 (11%) had predicted airway difficulty.…
