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RSI Airway Assessment
New Hampshire
Division of Fire Standards & Training and
Emergency Medical Services
2011
Purpose of this Module
 Review Airway Anatomy
 Learn Advanced Airway Assessment
Techniques
 3-3-2
 Laryngoscope View Grading
 Mallampati Classifications
 BURP
IF
Endotracheal Intubation fails,
you must have a back-up plan...
Upper Airway
Upper Airway
Middle Airway
Thyroid versus Cricothyroid Cartilage
 Thyroid cartilage used
in “BURP” maneuver.
Does not form a
complete ring around
the trachea.
 Cricothyroid Cartilage
used in
CricoidPressure, does
form a full ring around
the trachea allowing
for the compression of
the esophagus.
Lower Airway
1. Preparation
 A two-part process:
 Assess the risks
 Prepare the equipment
Assess the Risks
Difficult Airways - Assess the Risks
“The difficult airway is something one
anticipates; the failed airway is something
one experiences.”
-Walls 2002
How do you know if your
patient is going to be difficult
to intubate…
…and does it really matter?
Some Predictors of a Difficult Airway
 C-spine immobilized
trauma patient
 Protruding tongue
 Short, thick neck
 Prominent upper
incisors
(“buckteeth”)
 Receding mandible
 High, arched palate
 Beard or facial hair
 Dentures
 Limited jaw opening
 Limited cervical
mobility
 Upper airway
conditions
 Face, neck, or oral
trauma
 Laryngeal trauma
 Airway edema or
obstruction
 Morbidly obese
Additional Predictors:
Medical History
 Joint disease
 Acromegaly
 Thyroid or major neck
surgeries
 Tumors, known
abnormal structures
 Genetic anomalies
 Epiglottitis
 Previous problems
in surgery
 Diabetes
 Pregnancy
 Obesity
 Pain issues
Assess the Risk
 Identifying a
potentially difficult
airway is essential
to preparing and
developing a
strategy for
successful ETI and
also preparing an
alternate plan in
the event of a
failed ETI.
Objectives
 Identify 4 areas of airway difficulty
 Predict a difficult airway using the
following mnemonics:
 MOANS
 LEMONS
 DOA
Airway Difficulties
 Difficult to ventilate with a BVM
 Difficult laryngoscopy
 Difficult to intubate
Difficult to Bag (MOANS)
 Mask Seal
 Obesity or Obstruction
 Age > 55
 No Teeth
 Stiff
Mask Seal
 Small Hands
 Wrong Mask Size
 Oddly Shaped Face
 Bushy Beard
 Blood/Vomit
 Facial Trauma
MOA
NS
Obesity or Obstruction
 Obesity
 Heavy chest
 Abdominal contents inhibit movement of the
diaphragm
 Increased supraglottic airway resistance
 Billowing cheeks
 Difficult mask seal
 Quicker desaturation
MOA
NS
Obesity or Obstruction
 3rd Trimester Pregnancy
 Increased body mass
 Quick desaturation
 Increased Mallampati Score
 Gravid uterus inhibits movement of the
diaphragm
MOA
NS
Obesity or Obstruction
 Obstructions
 Foreign Body
 Angioedema
 Abscesses
 Epiglottitis
 Cancer
 Traumatic Disruption/Hematoma/Burns
MOA
NS
Age > 55
 Associated with BVM difficulty, possibly
due to loss of tone in the upper airway
MOA
NS
No Teeth
 Face tends to “cave in”
 Consider leaving dentures in for BVM
and remove for intubation
MOA
NS
Stiff
 Refers to Poor Compliance
 Reactive Airway Disease
 COPD
 Pulmonary Edema/Advance Pneumonia
 History of Snoring/Sleep Apnea
 Also predicts a higher Mallampati score
MOA
NS
Difficult Laryngoscopy & Intubation
LEMONS
 Look Externally
 Evaluate 3-3-2
 Mallampati Score
 Obstruction
 Neck Mobility
 Scene and Situation
LOOK Externally
 Beards or facial hair
 Short, fat neck
 Morbidly obese patients
 Facial or neck trauma
 Broken teeth (can lacerate balloons)
 Dentures (should be removed)
 Large teeth
 Protruding tongue
 A narrow or abnormally shaped face
LEM
ONS
EVALUATE 3-3-2
 Bottom of Jaw/Chin to Neck >
3 fingers
 Jaw/Palate > 3 fingers wide
 Mouth opens > 2 fingers wide
Any single indicator has poor specificity
LEM
ONS
EVALUATE 3-3-2
 Mouth Opens at least 3 finger widths.
 Three finger widths thyromental distance.
 Two finger widths mandibulohyoid
distance.
LEM
ONS
EVALUATE 3-3-2
 Will patients mouth open wide
enough to accommodate 3 fingers?
 Will 3 fingers fit between the mentum
and hyoid bone?
 Will 2 fingers fit between the hyoid
and thyroid notch?
 If not, expect a difficult intubation
LEM
ONS
Mouth opens at least 3 fingers width?
LEM
ONS
Thyromental Distance
 Distance from the mentum to the thyroid
notch.
 Ideally done with the neck fully extended.
Can be done in-line
 Helps determine how readily the laryngeal
axis will fall in line with the pharyngeal
axis.
LEM
ONS
Thyromental Distance
 If the thyromental distance is
short, <3 finger widths, the
laryngeal axis makes a more
acute angle with the
pharyngeal axis and it will be
difficult to achieve alignment.
 Less space to displace the
tongue.
LEM
ONS
Thyromental Distance-3 fingers?
LEM
ONS
Mandibulohyoid Distance- 2 fingers?
 Measured from the
mentum to the top of
the hyoid bone.
 The epiglottis arises
from the thyroid and
remains dorsal to the
hyoid bone.
 Therefore, the position
of the hyoid bone
marks the entrance to
the larynx.
LEM
ONS
Mandibulohyoid Distance
LEM
ONS
Mandibulohyoid Distance
 When the position of the hyoid bone is
caudal or relatively caudal, a large portion
of the tongue is situated in the
hypopharynx instead of the mouth.
 During laryngoscopy, this large
hypopharyngeal tongue mass further
compromises the compliance needed for
its displacement
LEM
ONS
Mandibulohyoid Distance
 Patients who have a
longer mandibulohyoid
distance, greater then 2
finger widths, tend to
be more difficult to
intubate.
 A more caudal hyoid
bone thus indicates a
relatively caudal larynx.
LEM
ONS
Upper & Lower Face
 Measure the size of the upper face as
compared to the lower face.
 Should be roughly the same.
 If the lower face is longer than the upper
face then you should anticipate some
degree of difficulty lining up the
structures.
LEM
ONS
Upper and lower face equal?
LEM
ONS
Upper and lower face equal?
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Score
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Score
 Have patient sit up, and stick out
tongue without phonating
 May be unable to properly assess this in
an emergent field situation
 Modified version is to use a
laryngoscope blade like a tongue blade
to visualize the oropharynx – (not as
sensitive or specific)
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
 Relates to tongue size to pharyngeal size.
 Performed with patient in a sitting
position, head neutral, mouth open wide
and tongue protruding to the maximum.
 The Subsequent Classification is assigned
based upon the pharyngeal structures
visible.
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
 Class I: Visualization of the soft palate,
fauces, uvula, and anterior & posterior
pillars
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
 Class II: Visualization of the Soft palate,
fauces and uvula.
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
 Grade III: Visualization of the soft palate
and the base of the uvula.
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
 Grade IV: The soft palate is not visible at
all.
LEM
ONS
LEM
ONS
Mallampati Classification
LEM
ONS
 Laryngoscopy or intubation
may be more difficult in the
presence of an obstruction
 Anatomy
 Trauma
 Foreign body obstruction
 Edema (burns)
LEM
ONS
Obstruction
Obstructions
Laryngoscopic View Grades
Grade 1: Full aperture visible
Grade 2: Lower part of cords visible
Grade 3: Only epiglottis visible
Grade 4: Epiglottis not visible
LEM
ONS
Obstructions
Laryngoscopic View Grades
Graded in order from the best view to
worst.
 Grade 1: Visualization of the entire
laryngeal apeture
LEM
ONS
Obstructions
Laryngoscopic View Grades
 Grade 2: Visualization of just the posterior
portion of the laryngeal aperture.
 Grade 3: Visualization of only the
epiglottis
 Grade 4: Visualization of the soft palate
only.
LEM
ONS
Obstructions
Laryngoscopic View Grades
 A severe grade III or IV view with failed
endotracheal intubation occurs in 0.05-
0.35% of patients
LEM
ONS
Cormack & Lehane Grading
Grade I = 
success & ease
of intubation
<1%
<5%
10-30%
% listed = incidence
LEM
ONS
Neck Mobility
 Ideally the neck should be able to
extend back approximately 35°
 Problems:
 Cervical Spine Immobilization
 Ankylosing Spondylitis
 Rheumatoid Arthritis
 Halo fixation
LEM
ONS
Scene and Situation (SEE)
 Scene safety
 Environment
 Do you have a reasonable chance to get the
tube?
 Space, positioning, access
 Egress
 Will you be able to ventilate during egress?
 A respiratory rate of 4 is better than a rate of
0!
 Enough meds for a long extrication?
LEM
ONS
“BURP” – a.k.a.
“External Laryngeal Manipulation”
 Backward, Upward,
Rightward Pressure:
manipulation of the
trachea
 90% of the time the
best view will be
obtained by pressing
over the thyroid
cartilage
Differs from the Sellick Maneuver
To Summarize
 Airway assessment is a critical part of
the RSI process
 The difficult airway assessment must be
performed prior to ALL RSI attempts.
 While this criteria helps identify difficult
airways, it does not guarantee an easy
intubation—Be Prepared!
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt
iairwayassessment.ppt

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iairwayassessment.ppt

  • 1. RSI Airway Assessment New Hampshire Division of Fire Standards & Training and Emergency Medical Services 2011
  • 2. Purpose of this Module  Review Airway Anatomy  Learn Advanced Airway Assessment Techniques  3-3-2  Laryngoscope View Grading  Mallampati Classifications  BURP
  • 3. IF Endotracheal Intubation fails, you must have a back-up plan...
  • 7. Thyroid versus Cricothyroid Cartilage  Thyroid cartilage used in “BURP” maneuver. Does not form a complete ring around the trachea.  Cricothyroid Cartilage used in CricoidPressure, does form a full ring around the trachea allowing for the compression of the esophagus.
  • 8.
  • 9.
  • 11. 1. Preparation  A two-part process:  Assess the risks  Prepare the equipment
  • 13. Difficult Airways - Assess the Risks “The difficult airway is something one anticipates; the failed airway is something one experiences.” -Walls 2002
  • 14. How do you know if your patient is going to be difficult to intubate… …and does it really matter?
  • 15. Some Predictors of a Difficult Airway  C-spine immobilized trauma patient  Protruding tongue  Short, thick neck  Prominent upper incisors (“buckteeth”)  Receding mandible  High, arched palate  Beard or facial hair  Dentures  Limited jaw opening  Limited cervical mobility  Upper airway conditions  Face, neck, or oral trauma  Laryngeal trauma  Airway edema or obstruction  Morbidly obese
  • 16. Additional Predictors: Medical History  Joint disease  Acromegaly  Thyroid or major neck surgeries  Tumors, known abnormal structures  Genetic anomalies  Epiglottitis  Previous problems in surgery  Diabetes  Pregnancy  Obesity  Pain issues
  • 17. Assess the Risk  Identifying a potentially difficult airway is essential to preparing and developing a strategy for successful ETI and also preparing an alternate plan in the event of a failed ETI.
  • 18. Objectives  Identify 4 areas of airway difficulty  Predict a difficult airway using the following mnemonics:  MOANS  LEMONS  DOA
  • 19. Airway Difficulties  Difficult to ventilate with a BVM  Difficult laryngoscopy  Difficult to intubate
  • 20. Difficult to Bag (MOANS)  Mask Seal  Obesity or Obstruction  Age > 55  No Teeth  Stiff
  • 21. Mask Seal  Small Hands  Wrong Mask Size  Oddly Shaped Face  Bushy Beard  Blood/Vomit  Facial Trauma MOA NS
  • 22. Obesity or Obstruction  Obesity  Heavy chest  Abdominal contents inhibit movement of the diaphragm  Increased supraglottic airway resistance  Billowing cheeks  Difficult mask seal  Quicker desaturation MOA NS
  • 23. Obesity or Obstruction  3rd Trimester Pregnancy  Increased body mass  Quick desaturation  Increased Mallampati Score  Gravid uterus inhibits movement of the diaphragm MOA NS
  • 24. Obesity or Obstruction  Obstructions  Foreign Body  Angioedema  Abscesses  Epiglottitis  Cancer  Traumatic Disruption/Hematoma/Burns MOA NS
  • 25. Age > 55  Associated with BVM difficulty, possibly due to loss of tone in the upper airway MOA NS
  • 26. No Teeth  Face tends to “cave in”  Consider leaving dentures in for BVM and remove for intubation MOA NS
  • 27. Stiff  Refers to Poor Compliance  Reactive Airway Disease  COPD  Pulmonary Edema/Advance Pneumonia  History of Snoring/Sleep Apnea  Also predicts a higher Mallampati score MOA NS
  • 28. Difficult Laryngoscopy & Intubation LEMONS  Look Externally  Evaluate 3-3-2  Mallampati Score  Obstruction  Neck Mobility  Scene and Situation
  • 29. LOOK Externally  Beards or facial hair  Short, fat neck  Morbidly obese patients  Facial or neck trauma  Broken teeth (can lacerate balloons)  Dentures (should be removed)  Large teeth  Protruding tongue  A narrow or abnormally shaped face LEM ONS
  • 30. EVALUATE 3-3-2  Bottom of Jaw/Chin to Neck > 3 fingers  Jaw/Palate > 3 fingers wide  Mouth opens > 2 fingers wide Any single indicator has poor specificity LEM ONS
  • 31. EVALUATE 3-3-2  Mouth Opens at least 3 finger widths.  Three finger widths thyromental distance.  Two finger widths mandibulohyoid distance. LEM ONS
  • 32. EVALUATE 3-3-2  Will patients mouth open wide enough to accommodate 3 fingers?  Will 3 fingers fit between the mentum and hyoid bone?  Will 2 fingers fit between the hyoid and thyroid notch?  If not, expect a difficult intubation LEM ONS
  • 33. Mouth opens at least 3 fingers width? LEM ONS
  • 34. Thyromental Distance  Distance from the mentum to the thyroid notch.  Ideally done with the neck fully extended. Can be done in-line  Helps determine how readily the laryngeal axis will fall in line with the pharyngeal axis. LEM ONS
  • 35. Thyromental Distance  If the thyromental distance is short, <3 finger widths, the laryngeal axis makes a more acute angle with the pharyngeal axis and it will be difficult to achieve alignment.  Less space to displace the tongue. LEM ONS
  • 37. Mandibulohyoid Distance- 2 fingers?  Measured from the mentum to the top of the hyoid bone.  The epiglottis arises from the thyroid and remains dorsal to the hyoid bone.  Therefore, the position of the hyoid bone marks the entrance to the larynx. LEM ONS
  • 39. Mandibulohyoid Distance  When the position of the hyoid bone is caudal or relatively caudal, a large portion of the tongue is situated in the hypopharynx instead of the mouth.  During laryngoscopy, this large hypopharyngeal tongue mass further compromises the compliance needed for its displacement LEM ONS
  • 40. Mandibulohyoid Distance  Patients who have a longer mandibulohyoid distance, greater then 2 finger widths, tend to be more difficult to intubate.  A more caudal hyoid bone thus indicates a relatively caudal larynx. LEM ONS
  • 41. Upper & Lower Face  Measure the size of the upper face as compared to the lower face.  Should be roughly the same.  If the lower face is longer than the upper face then you should anticipate some degree of difficulty lining up the structures. LEM ONS
  • 42. Upper and lower face equal? LEM ONS
  • 43. Upper and lower face equal? LEM ONS
  • 45. Mallampati Score  Have patient sit up, and stick out tongue without phonating  May be unable to properly assess this in an emergent field situation  Modified version is to use a laryngoscope blade like a tongue blade to visualize the oropharynx – (not as sensitive or specific) LEM ONS
  • 46. Mallampati Classification  Relates to tongue size to pharyngeal size.  Performed with patient in a sitting position, head neutral, mouth open wide and tongue protruding to the maximum.  The Subsequent Classification is assigned based upon the pharyngeal structures visible. LEM ONS
  • 47. Mallampati Classification  Class I: Visualization of the soft palate, fauces, uvula, and anterior & posterior pillars LEM ONS
  • 48. Mallampati Classification  Class II: Visualization of the Soft palate, fauces and uvula. LEM ONS
  • 49. Mallampati Classification  Grade III: Visualization of the soft palate and the base of the uvula. LEM ONS
  • 50. Mallampati Classification  Grade IV: The soft palate is not visible at all. LEM ONS
  • 53.  Laryngoscopy or intubation may be more difficult in the presence of an obstruction  Anatomy  Trauma  Foreign body obstruction  Edema (burns) LEM ONS Obstruction
  • 54. Obstructions Laryngoscopic View Grades Grade 1: Full aperture visible Grade 2: Lower part of cords visible Grade 3: Only epiglottis visible Grade 4: Epiglottis not visible LEM ONS
  • 55. Obstructions Laryngoscopic View Grades Graded in order from the best view to worst.  Grade 1: Visualization of the entire laryngeal apeture LEM ONS
  • 56. Obstructions Laryngoscopic View Grades  Grade 2: Visualization of just the posterior portion of the laryngeal aperture.  Grade 3: Visualization of only the epiglottis  Grade 4: Visualization of the soft palate only. LEM ONS
  • 57. Obstructions Laryngoscopic View Grades  A severe grade III or IV view with failed endotracheal intubation occurs in 0.05- 0.35% of patients LEM ONS
  • 58.
  • 59. Cormack & Lehane Grading Grade I =  success & ease of intubation <1% <5% 10-30% % listed = incidence LEM ONS
  • 60. Neck Mobility  Ideally the neck should be able to extend back approximately 35°  Problems:  Cervical Spine Immobilization  Ankylosing Spondylitis  Rheumatoid Arthritis  Halo fixation LEM ONS
  • 61. Scene and Situation (SEE)  Scene safety  Environment  Do you have a reasonable chance to get the tube?  Space, positioning, access  Egress  Will you be able to ventilate during egress?  A respiratory rate of 4 is better than a rate of 0!  Enough meds for a long extrication? LEM ONS
  • 62. “BURP” – a.k.a. “External Laryngeal Manipulation”  Backward, Upward, Rightward Pressure: manipulation of the trachea  90% of the time the best view will be obtained by pressing over the thyroid cartilage Differs from the Sellick Maneuver
  • 63. To Summarize  Airway assessment is a critical part of the RSI process  The difficult airway assessment must be performed prior to ALL RSI attempts.  While this criteria helps identify difficult airways, it does not guarantee an easy intubation—Be Prepared!