Airway Management in Acute Trauma

Airway management in acute trauma patients poses a wide range of challenges to the medical personnel. Though the incidence is rare, blunt and penetrating to the face, neck, and thorax leading to airway compromise are rapidly increasing. It is important to recognize the danger signs in such a patient in order to quickly identify the impending or compromised airway, making it possible to act quickly. Medical personnel trained in handling difficult airways should be involved in this scenario. The approach to the trauma patient should be holistic with management of the other systems along with the airway. In this chapter, we look into a few rapid airway assessment tools, airway management equipment, and front-of-neck access that can aid in the management of difficult airway scenarios.