The Difficult Airway in Office-Based Anesthesia

Written By: Friedberg, Barry L. M.D.
Date Published: Wed, 2010-05-26

The skills required to anticipate and manage a difficult airway are very important skills that the anesthesia provider must possess. However, it is axiomatic that the night before surgery, the patient was breathing room air unassisted by any devices. (Note that this discussion excludes the sleep apnea patient who requires a continuous positive airway pressure device.) It is therefore anesthesia providers who may be creating the difficult airway by the choice of agents and style of administering them.