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Rapid Airway Assessment

nextgen learning to elevate your airway practice
introduction

AUDIO COMING SOON


When stepping up to the head of the bed In a rapidly evolving emergency, it may be hard to fully assess the airway of that altered or agitated patient with the same detail as you would for an elective pre-operative assessment, but the skilled clinician should still be able to quickly and efficiently get some of the most important information they need by doing a few simple things. Things that you should learn and incorporate into your own practice. They only take seconds and can sometimes be the difference between success and failure. Here they are.

Rapid Review

THE 60 SECOND AIRWAY ASSESSMENT

Here is what we consider the bare minimum. The essential elements of the rapid airway assessment that can be done in under 60 seconds.

Malampati

MALLAMPATI

The Mallampati score is one of the most well known of the assessment tools. It’s a fairly intuitive: the less you can see of the back of the throat, the more likely that the mouth opening is smaller, and the tongue is bigger, creating less room to work, and making intubation harder. Remember this only works on co-operative patients. Don’t try this on your agitated or obtunded patients!


Detailed Assessment

DETAILS OF THE HEAD & NECK ASSESSMENT

If you have a little more time and a co-operative patient, this is a great video showing some of the key features of a full assessment that can be performed prior to intubation.

User Guide

You can keep on track and get credit for completion using this guide. Learn More

  1. Open the guide to a tab on your browser.
  2. Visit each poster & review the content.
  3. Complete any challenges to earn points.

What’s Next

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Congratulations! You’ve completed this section of the learning space. Collect all the available points before moving on to the next poster to explore all the interactive and hands-on learning opportunities. 


Online Only

If you can’t be with us in person, you can still use this enhanced digital content as an online course. Visit the digital home page of this learning space by using the link below. Otherwise, head to the next poster above to continue through the physical learning space.

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