title: Clinical evaluation and airway management for adults with cervical spine instability.
abstract: Airway management of patients with cervical spine instability may be difficult as a result of immobilization, and may be associated with secondary neurologic injury related to cervical spine motion. Spinal cord instability is most common in patients with trauma, but there are additional congenital and acquired conditions that predispose to subacute cervical spine instability. Patients with suspected instability should receive immobilization during airway management with manual in-line stabilization. The best strategy for airway management is one that applies the technique with the highest likelihood of success on the first attempt and the lowest biomechanical influence on a potentially unstable spine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code UHS-2, Portland, OR 97211, USA. Electronic address: martinir@ohsu.edu.
authors.forename: Ross P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code UHS-2, Portland, OR 97211, USA.
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Larson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058109:Airway Management / Q000379:methods*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D013124:Spinal Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Airway management; Cervical spine instability; Manual in-line stabilization; Spinal cord injury