Airway Management & Intubation Flashcards

The jaw-thrust manoeuvre is preferred over head-tilt/chin-lift in trauma patients because:

Answer: It opens the airway without extending the cervical spine, reducing spinal injury risk

Jaw thrust displaces the mandible anteriorly to open the airway while maintaining cervical spine alignment, making it the preferred airway opening manoeuvre when spinal injury is suspected.

The correct mask size for a bag-valve-mask (BVM) covers:

Answer: From the bridge of the nose to the cleft of the chin, creating an airtight seal

The mask must create an airtight seal covering the nose and mouth, from the bridge of the nose above to the groove between lip and chin below, to deliver effective ventilation.

An oropharyngeal airway (OPA) is contraindicated in:

Answer: Conscious patients with intact gag reflex

The OPA stimulates the gag reflex in conscious patients, causing vomiting, laryngospasm, and aspiration; it is appropriate only in unconscious patients who lack a protective gag reflex.

The 'LEMON' assessment tool for predicting difficult intubation evaluates:

Answer: Look externally, Evaluate 3-3-2, Mallampati score, Obstruction, Neck mobility

LEMON: Look externally (dysmorphic features, trauma), Evaluate 3-3-2 (mouth opening, hyoid to chin, floor of mouth to thyroid), Mallampati class (pharyngeal view), Obstruction (mass, haematoma), Neck mobility (restricted extension).

Which laryngoscope blade type is typically used for direct laryngoscopy in pre-hospital intubation?

Answer: Macintosh (curved) blade, with the tip in the vallecula, or Miller (straight) blade under the epiglottis

Both Macintosh (curved, tip in vallecula) and Miller (straight, tip under epiglottis) blades are used; video laryngoscopes (GlideScope, McGrath) are increasingly recommended pre-hospital for improved glottic views.

Confirmation of correct endotracheal tube placement requires:

Answer: Waveform capnography plus clinical confirmation (chest rise, auscultation, mist in tube)

Gold standard confirmation requires waveform capnography (most reliable) combined with clinical signs; auscultation alone is insufficient as gastric tube placement can mimic breath sounds, especially in noisy environments.