Venkateswaran Ramkumar

Preparation of the patient and the airway for awake intubation.

Awake intubation is usually performed electively in the presence of a difficult airway. A detailed airway examination is time-consuming and often not feasible in an emergency. A simple 1-2-3 rule for airway examination allows one to identify potential airway difficulty within a minute. A more detailed airway examination can give a better idea about the exact nature of difficulty and the course of action to be taken to overcome it. When faced with an anticipated difficult airway, the anaesthesiologist needs to consider securing the airway in an awake state without the use of anaesthetic agents or muscle relaxants. As this can be highly discomforting to the patient, time and effort must be spent to prepare such patients both psychologically and pharmacologically for awake intubation. Psychological preparation is best initiated by an anaesthesiologist who explains the procedure in simple language. Sedative medications can be titrated to achieve patient comfort without compromising airway patency. Additional pharmacological preparation includes anaesthetising the airway through topical application of local anaesthetics and appropriate nerve blocks. When faced with a difficult airway, one should call for the difficult airway cart as well as for help from colleagues who have interest and expertise in airway management. Preoxygenation and monitoring during awake intubation is important. Anxious patients with a difficult airway may need to be intubated under general anaesthesia without muscle relaxants. Proper psychological and pharmacological preparation of the patient by an empathetic anaesthesiologist can go a long way in making awake intubation acceptable for all concerned.

The All India Difficult Airway Association 2016 guidelines for tracheal intubation in the Intensive Care Unit.

Tracheal intubation (TI) is a routine procedure in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is often life-saving. In contrast to the controlled conditions in the operating room, critically ill patients with respiratory failure and shock are physiologically unstable. These factors, along with a suboptimal evaluation of the airway and limited oxygen reserves despite adequate pre-oxygenation, are responsible for a high incidence of life-threatening complications such as severe hypoxaemia and cardiovascular collapse during TI in the ICU. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) proposes a stepwise plan for safe management of the airway in critically ill patients. These guidelines have been developed based on available evidence; wherever robust evidence was lacking, recommendations were arrived at by consensus opinion of airway experts, incorporating the responses to a questionnaire sent to members of the AIDAA and the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation during pre-oxygenation improves oxygen stores in patients with respiratory pathology. Nasal insufflation of oxygen at 15 L/min can increase the duration of apnoea before the occurrence of hypoxaemia. High-flow nasal cannula oxygenation at 60-70 L/min may also increase safety during TI in critically ill patients. Stable haemodynamics and gas exchange must be maintained during rapid sequence induction. It is necessary to implement an intubation protocol during routine airway management in the ICU. Adherence to a plan for difficult airway management incorporating the use of intubation aids and airway rescue devices and strategies is useful.

All India Difficult Airway Association 2016 guidelines for the management of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in Paediatrics.

The various physiological changes in pregnancy make the parturient vulnerable for early and rapid desaturation. Severe hypoxaemia during intubation can potentially compromise two lives (mother and foetus). Thus tracheal intubation in the pregnant patient poses unique challenges, and necessitates meticulous planning, ready availability of equipment and expertise to ensure maternal and foetal safety. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) proposes a stepwise plan for the safe management of the airway in obstetric patients. These guidelines have been developed based on available evidence; wherever robust evidence was lacking, recommendations were arrived at by consensus opinion of airway experts, incorporating the responses to a questionnaire sent to members of the AIDAA and the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA). Modified rapid sequence induction using gentle intermittent positive pressure ventilation with pressure limited to ≤20 cm H 2 O is acceptable. Partial or complete release of cricoid pressure is recommended when face mask ventilation, placement of supraglottic airway device (SAD) or tracheal intubation prove difficult. One should call for early expert assistance. Maternal SpO 2 should be maintained ≥95%. Apnoeic oxygenation with nasal insufflation of 15 L/min oxygen during apnoea should be performed in all patients. If tracheal intubation fails, a second- generation SAD should be inserted. The decision to continue anaesthesia and surgery via the SAD, or perform fibreoptic-guided intubation via the SAD or wake up the patient depends on the urgency of surgery, foeto-maternal status and availability of resources and expertise. Emergency cricothyroidotomy must be performed if complete ventilation failure occurs.

Republication: All India difficult airway association 2016 guidelines for tracheal intubation in the intensive care unit

Tracheal intubation (TI) is a routine procedure in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is often lifesaving. In contrast to the controlled conditions in the operating room, critically ill patients with respiratory failure and shock are physiologically unstable. These factors, along with under evaluation of the airway and suboptimal response to preoxygenation, are responsible for a high incidence of life-threatening complications such as severe hypoxemia and cardiovascular collapse during TI in the ICU. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) proposes a stepwise plan for safe management of the airway in critically ill patients. These guidelines have been developed based on available evidence; Wherever, robust evidence was lacking, recommendations were arrived at by consensus opinion of airway experts, incorporating the responses to a questionnaire sent to members of the (AIDAA) and Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for preoxygenation provides adequate oxygen stores during TI for patients with respiratory pathology. Nasal insufflation of oxygen at 15 L/min can increase the duration of apnea before hypoxemia sets in. High flow nasal cannula oxygenation at 60–70 L/min may also increase safety during intubation of critically ill patients. Stable hemodynamics and gas exchange must be maintained during rapid sequence induction. It is necessary to implement an intubation protocol during routine airway management in the ICU. Adherence to a plan for difficult airway management incorporating the use of intubation aids and airway rescue devices and strategies is useful.

Airway management guidelines: A safe passage to India

© 2016 Indian Journal of Anaesthesia | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow The dual responsibility of maintaining a patent airway and securing a definite airway rests squarely on the shoulders of the anaesthesiologist. This is true not only in the operation theatre (OT) but also in the emergency room (ER) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Since elective endotracheal intubation for anaesthesia was first used by Sir William Macewen in 1880, it has been the mainstay of airway management in the majority of situations. While it is true that specific anaesthetic requirements for performing cardiac, neurological, paediatric, bariatric, obstetric or any other branch of surgery are important, the one factor that is common to all specialties is the need to provide a secure airway. Anaesthesiologists have always acknowledged the importance of airway management, starting with the preoperative airway examination. New technology has often powered the advances in various fields of medicine; anaesthesiology is no exception. The last two decades have also witnessed a sea change in the availability of airway equipment and techniques. This embarrassment of riches brings yet another issue into sharp focus. Is the present day anaesthesiologist competent in the appropriate use of such a wide variety of airway equipment? In a country as vast as India, have such technological advances reached the anaesthesia community in its entirety or have they reached only a few select centres of excellence? These questions have made it increasingly clear that we need to focus on teaching and training in a wide spectrum of airway management techniques.

Management of laryngospasm – our concerns and suggestions

any airway endoscopist. What we never would suggest and never practised in treating laryngospasm is the insertion of an oroor a naso-pharyngeal airway because this rigid tool will continuously stimulate upper airway reflexes as the plane of anesthesia is usually light, often too light, when laryngospasm occurs. When called to a scenario of recurring laryngospasm, removing the pharyngeal airway was often the only intervention necessary to break the laryngospasm. The true diagnosis of laryngospasm as noted above, excludes the possibility of deepening anesthesia by inhalational agents and any chance for a successful intubation (see Figures 2–5). The treatment of sustained laryngospasm by propofol or succinyl choline is well founded. Irritating upper airway reflexes appear to be omnipresent in the operating theatre and the recovery room where small children are treated, the Hering-Breuer reflex probably being the most important. Reflex apnea is quite different from laryngospasm, e.g. heavy strokes with an anesthesia bag are not helpful at all in overcoming reflex apnea, but rather prolong it. Josef Holzki* *Beienburger Str. 45 D-51503 Roesrath, Germany (email: josef.holzki@arcor.de) Michael Laschat† †Children’s Hospital Cologne Koeln Germany (email: laschatm@kliniken-koeln.de) References

Effect of intravenous dexmedetomidine administered as bolus or as bolus-plus-infusion on subarachnoid anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine

Background: Subarachnoid anesthesia is a widely practiced regional anesthetic for infraumbilical surgeries. Intravenous dexmedetomidine is known to prolong both sensory and motor blockade when administered along with subarachnoid anesthesia. Material and Methods: Seventy-five patients scheduled to undergo elective infraumbilical surgeries under subarachnoid anesthesia were randomly allocated to one of the three groups. Group B received intravenous saline over 10 min followed by 12.5 mg intrathecal bupivacaine and then intravenous saline over 60 min. Group bupivacaine + dexmedetomidine bolus (BDexB) received intravenous dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg) over 10 min followed by 12.5 mg intrathecal bupivacaine and then intravenous saline over 60 min. Group bupivacaine + dexmedetomidine bolus-plus-infusion (BDexBI) received intravenous dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg) over 10 min followed by 12.5 mg intrathecal bupivacaine and then intravenous dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg) over 60 min. Onset of analgesia (at T10), complete motor block (Bromage score 3), and highest level of analgesia were noted. Sensory and motor levels were checked periodically till sensory recovery (at S2–S4) and complete motor recovery (Bromage score 0). Ramsay sedation score and incidence of bradycardia/hypotension were noted. Results: Sensory recovery was significantly longer in Group BDexB (303 min) and Group BdexBI (288 min) as compared to Group B (219.6 min). Motor recovery was also significantly prolonged in Group BDexB (321.6 min) and Group BDexBI (302.4 min) as compared to Group B (233.4 min). Patients receiving dexmedetomidine were sedated but were easily arousable. Conclusion: Intravenous dexmedetomidine given as bolus or bolus-plus-infusion with intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine prolongs both sensory and motor blockade.

All India Difficult Airway Association 2016 guidelines for the management of anticipated difficult extubation

Extubation has an important role in optimal patient recovery in the perioperative period. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) reiterates that extubation is as important as intubation and requires proper planning. AIDAA has formulated an algorithm based on the current evidence, member survey and expert opinion to incorporate all patients of difficult extubation for a successful extubation. The algorithm is not designed for a routine extubation in a normal airway without any associated comorbidity. Extubation remains an elective procedure, and hence, patient assessment including concerns related to airway needs to be done and an extubation strategy must be planned before extubation. Extubation planning would broadly be dependent on preventing reflex responses (haemodynamic and cardiovascular), presence of difficult airway at initial airway management, delayed recovery after the surgical intervention or airway difficulty due to pre-existing diseases. At times, maintaining a patent airway may become difficult either due to direct handling during initial airway management or due to surgical intervention. This also mandates a careful planning before extubation to avoid extubation failure. Certain long-standing diseases such as goitre or presence of obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea may have increased chances of airway collapse. These patients require planned extubation strategies for extubation. This would avoid airway collapse leading to airway obstruction and its sequelae. AIDAA suggests that the extubation plan would be based on assessment of the airway. Patients requiring suppression of haemodynamic responses would require awake extubation with pharmacological attenuation or extubation under deep anaesthesia using supraglottic devices as bridge. Patients with difficult airway (before surgery or after surgical intervention) or delayed recovery or difficulty due to pre-existing diseases would require step-wise approach. Oxygen supplementation should continue throughout the extubation procedure. A systematic approach as briefed in the algorithm needs to be complemented with good clinical judgement for an uneventful extubation.