Anticipation of the Difficult Airway: the Preoperative Airway Assessment Form

Anticipation of the Difficult Airway: the Preoperative Airway Assessment Form as an Educational and Quality Improvement Tool

The purpose of this study is to see if our experimental preoperative airway assessment form is a better indicator of difficult airway as compared to the anesthesia record that is presently used.

Predicting difficult airway continues to be problematic for even the most seasoned of anesthesiologists. In our study, the resident class will be our sample population. The residents will be randomly assigned into two groups: the experimental group will be utilizing the new preoperative airway assessment form and the control group will be utilizing the standard anesthesia record. Simultaneously, a subset of our anesthesia experts will also be assessing patients preoperatively. The five areas of difficult airway management will be considered: difficult mask ventilation, difficult supraglottic airway, difficult laryngoscopy, difficult intubation, and difficult surgical airway.

According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the incidence of intubation has remained stable throughout the 1980s and 1990s despite attempts to predict its occurrence. Many of these cases were considered to be preventable; therefore, a better prediction of and preparation for difficult airway management may lead to a reduction in adverse events.

Inclusion Criteria:

• CA-1, CA-2, and CA-3 anesthesiology residents starting from July 2008-July 2010

Exclusion Criteria:

• the same anesthesiology residents who are working with patients 17 and younger, patients who are already intubated, and patients undergoing emergent surgery.