Airway Management Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Airway Management flashcards as text
Which finding on capnography most reliably confirms correct tracheal placement of an endotracheal tube?
Answer: A persistent end-tidal CO2 waveform over multiple breath cycles
A persistent quantitative ETCO2 waveform across multiple breaths is the gold standard for confirming tracheal intubation, as esophageal placement will not produce sustained CO2.
What is the recommended first-line management for complete laryngospasm occurring during emergence from anesthesia?
Answer: Positive pressure ventilation with 100% O2 and application of bilateral Larson's maneuver
Positive pressure ventilation plus the Larson maneuver (firm pressure in the laryngospasm notch) is first-line treatment; succinylcholine is reserved for unresponsive complete laryngospasm.
Post-extubation stridor occurring in the immediate recovery period in an adult patient is most commonly caused by:
Answer: Laryngeal edema from the endotracheal tube cuff
Laryngeal edema from cuff pressure or traumatic intubation is the most common cause of post-extubation stridor, presenting as inspiratory stridor due to supraglottic or glottic narrowing.
For a patient with a suspected full stomach requiring emergency general anesthesia, which technique represents the current standard of care for airway management?
Answer: Rapid sequence induction with cricoid pressure and succinylcholine
Rapid sequence induction (RSI) with cricoid pressure minimizes the time from loss of protective reflexes to secured airway, reducing aspiration risk in patients with full stomachs.
Right mainstem bronchus intubation is most reliably identified by which of the following clinical findings?
Answer: Absent breath sounds on the left with decreased SpO2
Right mainstem intubation causes the left lung to be excluded from ventilation, producing absent left-sided breath sounds and progressive hypoxemia due to intrapulmonary shunting.
During anesthesia induction, bronchospasm is BEST managed initially with which of the following approaches?
Answer: Deepen anesthesia and administer inhaled bronchodilators via the breathing circuit
Deepening anesthesia (especially with volatile agents that have bronchodilatory properties) combined with inhaled beta-agonists addresses both airway reactivity and bronchospasm simultaneously.
In a 'cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate' (CICO) emergency, what is the definitive management step according to the ASA Difficult Airway Algorithm?
Answer: Emergency invasive airway access via cricothyrotomy or tracheostomy
When oxygenation cannot be maintained through any non-invasive technique, emergency surgical airway (cricothyrotomy) is the mandatory definitive step to prevent anoxic injury or death.