The Difficult Airway

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Blind Nasal Intubation

As this requires the rescuer to listen for the patient"s breathing to place properly, it can only be done in the breathing patient. It is more time-consuming than orotracheal intubation and may clog easily.  With the advent of pre-hospital CPAP, the incidence of nasal intubations have decreased.  Nasotracheal intubation is indicated for:

  • Patients with increased work of breathing and fatigue
  • Trismus
  • Status seizures
  • Cervical spine injuries
  • Decreased atlanto-occipital movement
  • Medication induced respiratory depression
  • An alternate means of obtaining an airway on a difficult patient

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