(Still) time to organise training in airway management in the UK

Fibreoptic intubation using three airway conduits in a manikin: the effect of operator experience*

“…Furthermore, trainees working alone experience a disproportionate number of airway emergencies [10]. Cook in his recent editorial stated that 'any anaesthetist considered competent to anaesthetise alone should be equipped to make a confident, effective attempt at detecting and managing airway emergency' [11]. The skill to recognise and manage a difficult airway effectively is a core skill of an anaesthetist and this should be introduced at the very start of the anaesthetic training.…”

Unanticipated difficult airway management in anaesthetised patients: a prospective study of the effect of mannequin training on management strategies and skill retention

“…In 2004, the Difficult Airway Society (DAS) developed national guidelines for management of unanticipated difficult intubation in the adult non‐obstetric patient [4]. It has subsequently been suggested that formal training should be provided at 6‐month intervals by every anaesthetic department to implement these guidelines and reduce anaesthetic related mortality [5]. Although the effect of training on some individual technical skills has been reported [6, 7], the effect of training on the overall management of difficult airway scenarios has not been formally assessed and the optimum interval for retraining has not been evaluated.…”

Practical aspects and training in fibreoptic intubation

“…Tracheal intubations are managed 'after hours' by solo trainees and there have been cases of unanticipated difficult airways that have either resulted in death (e.g. due to unrecognised esophageal intubation) or heavy criticism of their chosen airway strategies [89,90].…”