Management of the airway in the ICU

Hayden, Paul; Wyncoll, Duncan L.A.

doi:10.1016/j.mpaic.2007.08.022

« Previous Next »Anaesthesia & intensive care medicine
Volume 8, Issue 11 , Pages 468-470, November 2007

Management of the airway in the ICU

Paul Hayden, MRCP, FRCA, DICM, is Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine based at Medway Maritime Hospital. He trained in anaesthesia and intensive care primarily at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. His research interests include management of the abdominal compartment syndrome and the use of therapeutic hypothermia following cardiac arrest

Duncan LA Wyncoll, FRCA, EDIC, DICM, is Consultant Intensivist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. He qualified from St George's Hospital, London, and trained in anaesthesia and intensive care in a number of London hospitals. His research interests include severe sepsis, pancreatitis and ICU infection

Abstract

Optimal management of the airway remains a cornerstone of critical care. However, several pathophysiological derangements exist in the critically ill, which may affect the choice of drugs and means of ventilation. Most patients who remain in the ICU for a prolonged period receive a tracheostomy, but no consensus exists for the optimal method of insertion, timing, or selection of patients who would benefit most from the procedure. Furthermore, although securing the airway by tracheal intubation is carried out for most patients, an expanding role exists for non-invasive ventilatory support.

Keywords: non-invasive ventilation, suxamethonium, tracheostomy, ventilator-associated pneumonia