- "Don"t sweat the small stuff"" unless the small stuff is a patient airway. Airway management in the pre-hospital environment is one of the most important skills an ALS provider can perform in the acutely ill patient. Of all the interventions, it is the one most likely to make the difference between life and death.
- Airway management can also be the most difficult part of the patient to treat. Nothing is more stressful than attempting intubation and failing. As we will discuss, clinical ego is the patient"s worst nightmare and if you are better prepared for a difficult airway, you will less frequently encounter a difficult airway.
- Many factors can complicate your efforts to control an airway. Recognizing these factors and adjusting beforehand will increase your success rate and decrease your complication rate. These same factors may influence your choice of backup plan as well. All airway protocols should have a backup airway, and you should already have your options thought out before first attempting intubation.
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