Situation category
Device and surgical airway
Tube, trach, laryngectomy, exchange, cuff leak, and front-of-neck issues.
Tracheostomy EmergencyTrach emergencies require knowing whether the tract is fresh or mature, whether the patient has an upper airway, and where oxygenation can occur.Trach Bleeding AirwayBleeding from a trach can represent a sentinel bleed from tracheo-innominate fistula until proven otherwise.Laryngectomy AirwayA total laryngectomy patient breathes only through the stoma; oral/nasal ventilation will not oxygenate them.Tube Exchange / Cuff LeakTube exchange is an airway procedure; losing the airway is the main risk.Accidental Extubation AirwayTreat as a new airway with a known recent failure mode.Postoperative Neck Hematoma AirwayNeck hematoma can rapidly compress the airway; decompression may be life-saving.Cricothyrotomy / Front-of-Neck AccessFront-of-neck access is a declared rescue action, not an afterthought.