Airway Evaluation Continued
"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."
Previous airway management problems
Look at old anesthetic records, if they are available, to see if problems with airway management were documented. In practice this means finding comments on ease or difficulty of bag-mask ventilation, laryngoscopy view, and any special airway techniques or equipment used previously. You might even consider requesting records from a different hospital if airway management is expected to be particularly challenging.
Ask the patient! Although it is unlikely that a patient will be able to provide details about why airway management was difficult In the past, a statement such as ' they we're struggling to get the tube down' or similar should obviously ring alarm bells.
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Find out if the patient has had head/ neck surgery including laryngeal surgery, neck dissection, facial reconstruction, tracheotomy or c-spine surgery. Has the patient had radiotherapy to the neck?
Consider whether a patient had any of these interventions or treatments since the last 'uneventful intubation'.