Advanced Airway Course

Lesson 1 • Lower Airway and Tracheobronchial Tree

Details tracheal anatomy, carina, and bronchial branching patterns. Connects lower airway structure to tube placement verification and ventilation distribution.

Lesson 2 • Anatomical Predictors of Difficult Airway

Links specific anatomical features to anticipated intubation difficulty. Builds the foundation for systematic airway assessment covered in the next chapter.

Lesson 3 • Airway Reflexes and Protective Mechanisms

Identifies cough, gag, and laryngospasm reflexes and their clinical implications. Prepares practitioners to anticipate and manage reflex responses during airway procedures.

Lesson 4 • Airway Physiology and Gas Exchange

Covers oxygen delivery, carbon dioxide elimination, and dead space concepts. Provides physiological rationale for oxygenation and ventilation strategies used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Airway History and Risk Stratification

Covers patient history elements that predict airway difficulty, including prior intubation records. Establishes risk stratification as the first step in every airway encounter.

Lesson 2 • Paediatric Airway Assessment Specifics

Adapts adult assessment frameworks to paediatric anatomical and physiological differences. Ensures age-appropriate evaluation across neonatal, infant, and child populations.

Lesson 3 • Communicating Airway Risk to the Team

Structures clear, standardised communication of airway findings to procedural teams. Reduces error by establishing shared mental models before intervention.

Lesson 4 • Dynamic Airway Assessment Techniques

Introduces real-time assessment methods including awake examination and video-assisted pre-evaluation. Extends static scoring to dynamic functional assessment.

Lesson 1 • Preoxygenation in Challenging Patients

Addresses obese, pregnant, paediatric, and critically ill patients who require modified preoxygenation approaches. Adapts technique selection to physiological constraints.

Lesson 2 • Equipment Setup and Team Preparation

Organises the procedural environment, equipment checklist, and team roles before airway intervention. Reduces cognitive load during the procedure through systematic preparation.

Lesson 3 • High-Flow Nasal Cannula Preoxygenation

Introduces high-flow nasal cannula as a preoxygenation and apneic oxygenation tool. Demonstrates flow rate selection and patient positioning for maximum benefit.

Lesson 4 • Physiology of Preoxygenation

Explains nitrogen washout, oxygen reservoir creation, and safe apnoea duration. Provides the physiological rationale for all preoxygenation techniques taught in this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Topical and Local Airway Anaesthesia

Details lidocaine nebulisation, spray-as-you-go, and nerve block techniques for awake intubation. Enables effective topicalisation while avoiding systemic toxicity.

Lesson 2 • Adjunct Medications and Pretreatment

Reviews atropine, fentanyl, lidocaine, and defasciculating agents used as pretreatment before RSI. Clarifies evidence base and current recommendations for each agent.

Lesson 3 • Pharmacology in Special Populations

Adapts drug selection and dosing for paediatric, geriatric, pregnant, and renally impaired patients. Prevents adverse outcomes through population-specific pharmacological reasoning.

Lesson 4 • Induction Agents for Airway Management

Compares ketamine, propofol, etomidate, and midazolam for airway induction. Matches agent selection to haemodynamic status, comorbidities, and clinical context.

Lesson 1 • Optimising Laryngeal View

Applies BURP manoeuvre, external laryngeal manipulation, and positioning adjustments to improve glottic visualisation. Converts poor views to acceptable views before escalating technique.

Lesson 2 • Managing Failed Laryngoscopy Attempts

Defines attempt limits, identifies failure triggers, and structures the response to failed laryngoscopy. Prevents hypoxic harm through disciplined attempt management.

Lesson 3 • Tube Placement and Confirmation

Covers endotracheal tube selection, insertion depth, cuff management, and multi-modal confirmation. Eliminates unrecognised oesophageal intubation through systematic verification.

Lesson 4 • Video Laryngoscopy Platforms and Use

Compares channeled and non-channeled video laryngoscope designs and their clinical applications. Develops platform-specific technique for each device category.

Lesson 1 • SGA Failure and Contraindications

Identifies clinical scenarios where SGAs are contraindicated or likely to fail. Prepares practitioners to recognize SGA failure and escalate to surgical airway.

Lesson 2 • LMA Insertion and Ventilation Technique

Demonstrates classic and ProSeal LMA insertion, cuff inflation, and ventilation confirmation. Builds foundational SGA insertion skill applicable to all device types.

Lesson 3 • Second-Generation SGA Techniques

Covers i-gel, LMA Supreme, and AuraGain insertion with emphasis on gastric tube placement. Extends SGA competency to devices with enhanced aspiration protection.

Lesson 4 • SGA as Conduit for Intubation

Uses SGAs as intubation conduits via fiberoptic and blind techniques. Bridges SGA rescue ventilation to definitive airway management.

Lesson 1 • Cannot Intubate Cannot Oxygenate Response

Defines CICO criteria and structures the immediate response including surgical airway activation. Trains rapid, decisive action to prevent hypoxic cardiac arrest.

Lesson 2 • Extubation of the Difficult Airway

Plans safe extubation strategies for patients with known or suspected difficult airways. Prevents reintubation crises through structured extubation protocols.

Lesson 3 • Difficult Airway Algorithm Frameworks

Presents evidence-based difficult airway algorithms and their decision nodes. Provides a cognitive scaffold for managing unanticipated airway difficulty in real time.

Lesson 4 • Awake Intubation Techniques

Covers awake fiberoptic, awake video laryngoscopy, and awake nasal intubation for anticipated difficult airways. Maintains patient protective reflexes while securing the airway.

Lesson 1 • Scalpel-Finger-Bougie Cricothyrotomy

Teaches the scalpel-finger-bougie technique as the primary emergency surgical airway method. Emphasises speed, tactile confirmation, and tube placement under crisis conditions.

Lesson 2 • Post-Procedural Management and Complications

Manages tube displacement, subcutaneous emphysema, bleeding, and false passage after surgical airway. Ensures procedural success is maintained through vigilant post-procedure care.

Lesson 3 • Needle and Surgical Cricothyrotomy Variants

Compares needle cricothyrotomy, Seldinger technique, and commercial kits as alternative surgical airway options. Clarifies indications, limitations, and failure modes of each approach.

Lesson 4 • Cricothyrotomy Anatomy and Landmarks

Identifies cricothyroid membrane by palpation and ultrasound in diverse patient populations. Accurate landmark identification is the prerequisite for all surgical airway techniques.