title: Airway management for nurses:emergency assessment and care.
abstract: Within the hospital environment patients can deteriorate rapidly and for many different reasons. Maintaining a patient's breathing is the main priority in any emergency situation--although achieving airway control can be difficult. All health professionals need to be able to safely undertake airway management and the key to the management of an airway is through a thorough assessment, to firstly ensure whether the airway is patent or not. This article will discuss airway management--both acute and chronic--as well as associated nursing care.
authors.affiliation: Disaster Healthcare, University of Glamorgan.
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Higginson
authors.forename: Bridie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004630:Emergencies / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing; D010808:Physical Examination; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000451:nursing