Skip to main contentSkip Navigation or Skip to Content
Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University

ANES 4003: Airway Management

Managing a patients' airway is an essential skill for an Anesthesia Assistant. Students explore the technology and application of airway management principles. Topics include airway equipment, airway assessment, and current airway management techniques. Additionally students will be assessed in surgical and nonsurgical approaches, and difficult airway management algorithms. Students successfully completing the course are well grounded in airway management theory and practice.

Learning outcomes

  • Compare and contrast the current available basic and advanced airway technologies.
  • Differentiate between the adult and pediatric airway
  • Compare and contrast the various airway assessment techniques.
  • Differentiate between the various nonsurgical airway techniques.
  • Differentiate between the various surgical airway techniques.
  • Select the appropriate airway management techniques for a difficult airway.
  • Compare the various pharmacological agents used in airway management.
  • Evaluate for appropriateness of airway removal and identify removal techniques.

Course topics

  1. Gas Exchange
  2. Evaluation of the Airway
  3. The Algorithms
  4. Pharmacology of Intubation
  5. Rapid Sequence Intubation
  6. Awake Intubation
  7. Manual Noninvasive Ventilation
  8. Direct Laryngoscopy
  9. Flexible Bronchoscopic Intubation
  10. Video Laryngoscopy
  11. Extraglottic Devices
  12. Intubating Stylets and Nonvisual Intubation Techniques
  13. Surgical Airway
  14. The Morbidly Obese Patient
  15. The Obstectrical Patient
  16. Pediatric Airway Management
  17. Airway Management Anesthesia in the MRI Suite
  18. Difficult Airway Carts
  19. Specialized Endotracheal Tubes

Required text and materials

Students will receive the following:

  1. Brown, C.A., Sakles, J.C., & Mick, N.W. (2018). The Walls Manual of emergency airway management (5th ed.), Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
    Type: Textbook ISBN: 9781496351968
  1. Hung, O., & Murphy, M. F. (2018). Hung’s Difficult and Failed Airway Management (3rd ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education/ Medical.
    Type: Textbook ISBN: 978-1259640544

Assessments

Please be aware that should your course have a final exam, you are responsible for the fee to the online proctoring service, ProctorU, or to the in-person approved Testing Centre. Please contact exams@tru.ca with any questions about this.

To successfully complete this course, students must achieve a passing grade of 50% or higher on the overall course, and 50% or higher on the final mandatory exam. Students applying this course towards any TRU Health Care program may be required to obtain a minimum 60% on the course overall to meet program requirements.

Assignment 1 : Algorithms 10%
Assignment 2 : Topical Anesthetic 10%
Assignment 3 : Airway (AW) Management 10%
Assignment 4 : Case Study 1 10%
Assignment 5 : Case Study 2 10%
Assignment 6 : Difficult Airway Cart 10%
Final Examination (mandatory) 40%
Total 100%

Open Learning Faculty Member Information

An Open Learning Faculty Member is available to assist students. Students will receive the necessary contact information at the start of the course.

Search To Top