Airway Ultrasound
Point of Care Ultrasonography (POCUS) has become widely available in recent years, and anaesthetists have become increasingly familiar with its use. Over the next two steps we are going to explore the role of US in airway assessment: firstly with a video demonstration of Airway Ultrasound with Dr Catriona Ferguson, Consultant Anaesthetist at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, part of University College London Hospitals.
You may want to review some anatomy knowledge presented in Week 1.
Airway ultrasound helps to locate the cricothyroid membrane and trachea, the location of the thyroid gland and overlying blood vessels.
Ultrasound can also be helpful to perform nerve blocks for awake intubation, and facilitate localisation of tracheal rings for tracheostomy. Ultrasonography is an excellent diagnostic tool in intraoperative and emergency diagnosis of pneumothorax. You can find more information on the topic in the resources below.
In the next step we will learn about gastric ultrasound. Both techniques can add useful information to devise an airway management strategy.
Have you got access to ultrasound scanning in your practice? Is it used for airway assessment?
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