title: Airway Management of Respiratory Failure.
abstract: Patients in respiratory distress often require airway management, including endotracheal intubation. It takes a methodical approach to transition from an unstable patient in distress with an unsecured airway, to a stable, sedated patient with a definitive airway. Through a deliberate course of advanced preparation, the emergency physician can tailor the approach to the individual clinical situation and optimize the chance of first-pass success. Sedation of the intubated patient confers physiologic benefits and should be included in the plan for airway control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Mail Stop B215, Leprino Building 12401, East 17th Avenue Room 712, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Electronic address: michael.overbeck@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Overbeck
mesh_terms: D058109:Airway Management / Q000379:methods*; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000379:methods; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Airway management; Apneic oxygenation; Difficult airway; Preoxygenation; Rapid sequence intubation; Respiratory failure; Sedation