Abstract
Airway management is one of the most important aspects of anesthetic care. The anesthesiologist must respond quickly in situations when intubation of the trachea and ventilation of the lungs using a mask become difficult. We must have a clear understanding of the guidelines for difficult airway management, perform a preoperative evaluation of the airway, prepare the appliances used for difficult tracheal intubation, and gain expertise in the use of these appliances.
We should predict the possibility of occurrence of a difficult airway by using a combination of screening tests, such as the Mallampati classification, degree of mouth opening, length of the upper incisors, size and protrusion of mandible, thyroid cartilage to mentum distance, thyroid cartilage to hyoid bone distance, upper border of the manubrium sterni to mentum distance and range of motion of head and neck.
To deal with a difficult airway, it is important for anesthesiologists to have a clear understanding of anatomy of the airway and to acquire the knowledge and skills required for airway management.
