Blunt and Penetrating Airway Trauma.

Airway injury, be that penetrating or blunt, is a high-stakes high-stress management challenge for any airway manager and their team. Penetrating and blunt airway injury vary in injury patterns requiring prepracticed skills and protocols coordinating care between specialties. Variables including patient cooperation, coexisting injuries, cardiorespiratory stability, care location (remote vs tertiary care center), and anticipated course of airway injury (eg, oxygenating well and comfortable vs increasing subcutaneous emphysema) all play a role in determining airway if and when airway management is required.

Airway recommendations for perioperative patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.

Purpose: Numerous guideline recommendations for airway and perioperative management during the COVID-19 pandemic have been published. We identified, synthesized, and compared guidelines intended for anesthesiologists.

Source: Member society websites of the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists and the European Society of Anesthesiologists were searched.

Canadian Airway Focus Group updated consensus-based recommendations for management of the difficult airway: part 1. Difficult airway management encountered in an unconscious patient.

Purpose: Since the last Canadian Airway Focus Group (CAFG) guidelines were published in 2013, the literature on airway management has expanded substantially. The CAFG therefore re-convened to examine this literature and update practice recommendations. This first of two articles addresses difficulty encountered with airway management in an unconscious patient.

Canadian Airway Focus Group updated consensus-based recommendations for management of the difficult airway: part 2. Planning and implementing safe management of the patient with an anticipated difficult airway.

Purpose: Since the last Canadian Airway Focus Group (CAFG) guidelines were published in 2013, the published airway management literature has expanded substantially. The CAFG therefore re-convened to examine this literature and update practice recommendations. This second of two articles addresses airway evaluation, decision-making, and safe implementation of an airway management strategy when difficulty is anticipated.

A systematic review of meta-analyses comparing direct laryngoscopy with videolaryngoscopy.

Purpose: In the preceding 20 years, many randomized-controlled trials and meta-analyses have compared direct Macintosh laryngoscopy with videolaryngoscopy. The videolaryngoscope blades have included both traditional Macintosh blades and hyperangulated blades. Macintosh and hyperangulated blades differ in their geometry and technique for tracheal intubation; certain patient populations may benefit from one blade type over another.

Anesthesiology airway-related medicolegal cases from the Canadian Medical Protection Association.

Purpose: We analyzed closed civil legal cases in 2007-2016 from the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) involving specialist anesthesiologists where airway management was the central concern.

Methods: We included all airway-related civil legal cases involving specialist anesthesiologists that closed from 2007 to 2016. The following variables were abstracted by CMPA medical analysts: clinical context, peer expert opinions of contributing factors, and patient and legal outcomes.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) for both anesthesiologists and other airway managers: principles and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare providers are facing a coronavirus disease pandemic. This pandemic may last for many months, stressing the Canadian healthcare system in a way that has not previously been seen. Keeping healthcare providers safe, healthy, and available to work throughout this pandemic is critical.

Management of Difficult Tracheal Intubation: A Closed Claims Analysis.

Background: Difficult or failed intubation is a major contributor to morbidity for patients and liability for anesthesiologists. Updated difficult airway management guidelines and incorporation of new airway devices into practice may have affected patient outcomes. The authors therefore compared recent malpractice claims related to difficult tracheal intubation to older claims using the Anesthesia Closed Claims Project database.

The REAL CRIC Trainer: Instructions for Building an Inexpensive, Realistic Cricothyrotomy Simulator With Skin and Tissue, Bleeding, and Flash of Air.

Background: Surgical cricothyrotomy is a rare procedure but it must be mastered by any physician who is involved in advanced airway management. Lack of experience and practice, the high-stress nature of a "can't intubate, can't oxygenate" emergency, and the unavailability of realistic simulators all contribute to physician hesitance and inaptitude while employing cricothyrotomy during difficult and failed airways. The REAL CRIC Trainer was created to alleviate some of the barriers surrounding a surgical airway.