Management of the Traumatized Airway

To discuss the challenges associated with airway management in patients with airway trauma and provide evidence-based management strategies.

Patients with traumatic injury to the airway have both anatomic and physiologic challenges associated with airway management. Appropriate choice of airway management tools, induction agents and pre-procedural patient optimization are important.

Management of a traumatized airway requires a coordinated multidisciplinary approach and the impact of choice of drugs, airway devices and tools to optimize patients prior to the procedure on outcomes needs further exploration.