NextGen Learning To Elevate Your Airway Practice
Overview
The anatomically difficult airway (ADA) conjures images of grossly distorted anatomy and the advanced skills used to overcome them, but this is not the whole story. If you want to master any anatomically difficult airway, you must be able to predict, prepare, and plan for the unexpected. So, if you’re interested in confidently managing the most difficult airways, this is your learning space. Getting started is as easy as scrolling down.👇
Meet the Director
Rohan Panchamia MD
Dr. Rohan Panchamia is a board-certified Anesthesiologist specializing in critical care medicine and transplant anesthesiology. His clinical interests include critical care ultrasound, liver anesthesia, trauma anesthesia, advanced airway education, and resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography.
An Integrated Learning Space
To Build Durable Skills
PAC is an integrated learning system, not a single course. Our digital content supports multiple learning styles, on your schedule. Begin in the PACscape to explore the concepts, mental models, and procedural frameworks that underpin safe airway management.
Need CME or an online course for yourself or your program? Our CME-enabled resources provide structured, on-demand education that stands on its own.
But airway skills are not built on screens alone. The same curriculum extends into the physical world through pop-up learning and hands-on training deployed where you work. Graphic, interactive posters guide procedures, skills challenges, expert coaching, and high-fidelity simulation, using a shared language across digital and physical spaces.
For deeper, tailored training, teams can book customized small-group sessions in our studio, or attend live courses and flagship events in New York City and partner sites worldwide.
The result is continuity—from online learning, to hands-on practice, to real-world performance. PAC gives you the tools, structure, and flexibility required for next-generation airway training.
Start Course
Learning Objectives
What is a Difficult Airway
What do we mean by the term difficult airway? The definition is more nuanced than you may think. When we say an airway is difficult, we often mean complex due to a single or combined set of factors. Anatomy is only one factor. Understanding all aspects of the term will help you develop your approach to its management.
The Anatomically Difficult Airway
An anatomically difficult airway refers to a clinical situation where the airway is challenging to manage due to structural or anatomical factors that make standard airway management techniques (such as endotracheal intubation or mask ventilation) more difficult.
Common Features of an Anatomically Difficult Airway:
- Facial Anatomy:
- Small or receding chin (micrognathia or retrognathia).
- Large tongue (macroglossia).
- Facial trauma or abnormalities.
- Limited mouth opening (e.g., temporomandibular joint dysfunction).
- Neck and Jaw Features:
- Short or thick neck.
- Reduced neck mobility (e.g., due to cervical spine injury, ankylosing spondylitis).
- Limited jaw protrusion (inability to advance the lower teeth beyond the upper teeth).
- Oral and Pharyngeal Space:
- Narrow oropharyngeal space (e.g., Mallampati class 3 or 4).
- High or arched palate.
- Tonsillar hypertrophy or other masses in the pharynx.
- Dental Issues:
- Prominent incisors or dental overbite.
- Loose or missing teeth.
- Other Structural Issues:
- Congenital anomalies (e.g., Pierre Robin sequence, Treacher Collins syndrome).
- Tumors, infections, or swelling (e.g., Ludwig’s angina, epiglottitis).
- Radiation-induced fibrosis or scarring.
What’s Next
FIND ME
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.