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Management of the difficult airway in the pediatric patient — review of existing scales
, 23, 4, 4, 25
Affiliations- Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Outcomes Research, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Medical Academy, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Neurology, Wolski Hospital, Warsaw, Poland
- Research Unit, Polish Society of Disaster Medicine
- Henry JN Taub Department of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Houston, TX, United States
open access
Abstract
There are numerous anatomical, physiological, and clinical differences between pediatric and adult airway management. Airway obstruction in children is unquestionably a stressful situation for the medical staff and the patient’s family. Therefore, caregivers must be able to accurately assess the risk of such an occurrence.
To date, there is no consensus on a single ideal pediatric airway assessment scale that could help identify children with the highest risk for intubation-related adverse events. Instead, a few classifications and methods were proposed, with some employing the same techniques proven effective for adults and others emphasizing the differences in the pediatric population. This article compares the data used to support the use of various perioperative airway assessment techniques in pediatric patients. The majority of these remedies rely on anatomical measurements, bedside tests, and in-depth patient histories.
This narrative review highlights the need for standardized and reliable pediatric airway assessment scales and stresses the significance of structured airway assessment in pediatric patients.
Abstract
There are numerous anatomical, physiological, and clinical differences between pediatric and adult airway management. Airway obstruction in children is unquestionably a stressful situation for the medical staff and the patient’s family. Therefore, caregivers must be able to accurately assess the risk of such an occurrence.
To date, there is no consensus on a single ideal pediatric airway assessment scale that could help identify children with the highest risk for intubation-related adverse events. Instead, a few classifications and methods were proposed, with some employing the same techniques proven effective for adults and others emphasizing the differences in the pediatric population. This article compares the data used to support the use of various perioperative airway assessment techniques in pediatric patients. The majority of these remedies rely on anatomical measurements, bedside tests, and in-depth patient histories.
This narrative review highlights the need for standardized and reliable pediatric airway assessment scales and stresses the significance of structured airway assessment in pediatric patients.
Keywords
pediatric airway assessment; pediatric intubation; difficult airway; airway management
About this articleTitle
Management of the difficult airway in the pediatric patient — review of existing scales
Journal
Disaster and Emergency Medicine Journal
Issue
Article type
Review paper
Pages
157-165
Published online
2023-07-20
Page views
358
Article views/downloads
903
DOI
10.5603/DEMJ.a2023.0025
Bibliographic record
Disaster Emerg Med J 2023;8(3):157-165.
Keywords
pediatric airway assessment
pediatric intubation
difficult airway
airway management
Authors
Karolina Mikolap
Natasza Blek
Sergiusz Blek
Aleksandra Olkiewicz
Lukasz Szarpak
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