Airway Management in Ambulatory Anesthesia

Abstract

Ambulatory surgery numbers are rising in the United States at a rapid pace. Between 1996 and 2006, procedures carried out in free-standing surgical centers rose by 300 %. Airway management is a key factor in time management, patient safety, and cost-effectiveness. For the anesthesiologist practicing in a free-standing or officebased unit, patient selection and preparation for all eventualities are essential. A combination of traditional skills and advances in technology and anesthetic research are discussed to outline what we believe is a guide to safe anesthetic practice and airway management in the ambulatory setting. Pre-assessment of the patient, the management of the uncomplicated airway, and management of the anticipated and unanticipated difficult airway are discussed in this article.

Wristbands use to identify adult patients with difficult airway: a scoping review

“…Risk factors related to difficult airway scenario include poor identification of at-risk patients, poor or incomplete planning, inadequate provision of skilled staff and equipment, 9 delayed recognition of events, 10 and failed rescue due to failure in interpreting the capnography. 11 As difficult airway is, unfortunately, an ever-present hazard in anesthetic practice, some recommendations have been suggested to better management of this issue, including the establishment of a structured difficult airway/intubation registry linked to a highly visible coded patient wristband for in-hospital identification of such patients.…”