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
- Gas Exchange
- Evaluation of the Airway
- The Algorithms
- Pharmacology of Intubation
- Rapid Sequence Induction
- Awake Intubation
- Manual Noninvasive Ventilation
- Direct Laryngoscopy
- Flexible Bronchoscopic Intubation
- Video Laryngoscopy
- Extraglottic Devices
- Intubating Stylets and Nonvisual Intubation Techniques
- Surgical Airway/Front-of-Neck Access
- The Morbidly Obese Patient
- The Obstectrical Patient
- Pediatric Airway Management
- Airway Management Anesthesia in the MRI Suite
- Difficult Airway Carts
- Specialized Endotracheal Tubes
Required text and materials
Students require the following e-textbooks, which can be purchased via TRU VitalSource.
- Brown, C.A., Sakles, J.C., & Mick, N.W. (2023). The Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management (6th ed.), Wolters Kluwer.
Type: E-Textbook. ISBN: 9781-975190-68-2 / 9781975190699
Can be purchased from the link at: https://tru-store.vitalsource.com/products/the-walls-manual-of-emergency-airway-management-calvin-a-brown-john-c-v9781975190699 - Hung, O., & Murphy, M. F. (2024). Hung’s Difficult and Failed Airway Management (4th ed.), McGraw-Hill Education/ Medical.
Type: E-Textbook. ISBN: 9781264278329 / 9781264278336
Can be purchased from the link at: https://tru-store.vitalsource.com/products/hung-39-s-management-of-the-difficult-and-failed-orlando-hung-michael-f-v9781264278336
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 mandatory final 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: The Algorithms | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Topical Anesthetic | 10% |
| Assignment 3: The History of the LMA | 10% |
| Assignment 4: COVID Case Study | 10% |
| Assignment 5: YouTube Video Critique | 10% |
| Assignment 6 : Difficult Airway Cart | 10% |
| Mandatory Final Exam | 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.
