Airway Exam - Airway Management
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Primary Objective for Airway Management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Ensure optimal
ventilation
- Deliver oxygen to blood
- Eliminate carbon dioxide (C02) from body
airway management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Includes a set of maneuvers and medical
procedures performed to both prevent airway airway obstruction and relieve it. This ensures
an open pathway for gas exchange between a patient's lungs and the atmosphere
spontaneous Ventilations - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅normal, unassisted breathing in
which the patient creates the pressure gradient through muscular movements that move air
into and out of the lungs.
manual or assisted ventilations - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅assisted ventilation
the depth of spontaneous ventilation is augmented by the anesthetist, as by squeezing the
rebreathing bag.
manual ventilation
intermittent manual compression of a gas-filled reservoir bag to force gases into a patient's
lungs and thus maintain oxygenation and carbon dioxide elimination during apnea or
hypoventilation.
Importance of Airway management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅- Brain death occurs
rapidly; other tissue follows
- EMS providers can reduce additional injury/disease by good airway, ventilation techniques
- EMS providers often neglect BLS airway, ventilation skills
Upper airway - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Functions: warm, filter, humidify air
,Upper airway anatomy - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Nasal Cavity/Nasopharynx - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅- Formed by union of facial bones
- Nasal floor towards ear not eye
- Lined with mucous membranes, cilia
- Tissues are delicate, vascular
- Eustachian Tubes
- Adenoids
- Lymph tissue - filters bacteria
- Commonly infected
Eustachian Tubes - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅The eustachian tube (pharyngotympanic
tube) connects the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx. It aerates the middle ear system
and clears mucus from the middle ear into the nasopharynx.
Eustachian Tubes Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Adenoid - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅The adenoid, also known as a pharyngeal tonsil or
nasopharyngeal tonsil, is the superior-most of the tonsils. It is a mass of lymphatic tissue
situated posterior to the nasal cavity, in the roof of the nasopharynx, where the nose blends
into the throat. Normally, in children, it forms a soft mound in the roof and posterior wall of
the nasopharynx, just above and behind the uvula.
Adenoids Picture - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Oral Cavity/Oropharynx - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Teeth
Tongue
- Attached at mandible, hyoid bone
- Most common airway obstruction cause
Palate
- Roof of mouth
- Separates oropharynx and nasopharynx
,- Anterior= hard palate; Posterior= soft palate
Tonsils
- Lymph tissue - filters bacteria
- Commonly infected
Epiglottis
- Leaf-like structure
- Closes during swallowing
- Prevents aspiration
Vallecula
- "Pocket" formed by base of tongue, epiglottis
vallecula - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Larynx - Upper Airway - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Larynx
- Attached to hyoid bone
- Horseshoe shaped bone
- Supports trachea
Thyroid cartilage
- Largest laryngeal cartilage
- Shield-shaped
- Cartilage anteriorly, smooth muscle posteriorly
- "Adam's Apple"
- Glottic opening directly behind
Glottic opening
- Adult airway's narrowest point
- Dependent on muscle tone
- Contains vocal bands
Arytenoid cartilage
- Posterior attachment of vocal bands
Cricoid ring
, - First tracheal ring
- Completely cartilaginous
- Compression (Sellick maneuver) occludes esophagus
Cricothyroid membrane
- Membrane between cricoid, thyroid cartilages
- Site for surgical, needle airway placement
larynx Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Thyroid Cartilage Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Vocal Cords Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Glottic Opening Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Top view of Larynx pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Artenoid Cartilage Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Cricoid / Thyroid Cartilage - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Larynx & Trachea - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Associated Structures
Thyroid gland
- below cricoid cartilage
- lies across trachea, up both sides
Carotid arteries
- branch across, lie closely alongside trachea
Jugular veins
- branch across and lie close to trachea
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Primary Objective for Airway Management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Ensure optimal
ventilation
- Deliver oxygen to blood
- Eliminate carbon dioxide (C02) from body
airway management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Includes a set of maneuvers and medical
procedures performed to both prevent airway airway obstruction and relieve it. This ensures
an open pathway for gas exchange between a patient's lungs and the atmosphere
spontaneous Ventilations - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅normal, unassisted breathing in
which the patient creates the pressure gradient through muscular movements that move air
into and out of the lungs.
manual or assisted ventilations - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅assisted ventilation
the depth of spontaneous ventilation is augmented by the anesthetist, as by squeezing the
rebreathing bag.
manual ventilation
intermittent manual compression of a gas-filled reservoir bag to force gases into a patient's
lungs and thus maintain oxygenation and carbon dioxide elimination during apnea or
hypoventilation.
Importance of Airway management - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅- Brain death occurs
rapidly; other tissue follows
- EMS providers can reduce additional injury/disease by good airway, ventilation techniques
- EMS providers often neglect BLS airway, ventilation skills
Upper airway - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Functions: warm, filter, humidify air
,Upper airway anatomy - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Nasal Cavity/Nasopharynx - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅- Formed by union of facial bones
- Nasal floor towards ear not eye
- Lined with mucous membranes, cilia
- Tissues are delicate, vascular
- Eustachian Tubes
- Adenoids
- Lymph tissue - filters bacteria
- Commonly infected
Eustachian Tubes - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅The eustachian tube (pharyngotympanic
tube) connects the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx. It aerates the middle ear system
and clears mucus from the middle ear into the nasopharynx.
Eustachian Tubes Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Adenoid - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅The adenoid, also known as a pharyngeal tonsil or
nasopharyngeal tonsil, is the superior-most of the tonsils. It is a mass of lymphatic tissue
situated posterior to the nasal cavity, in the roof of the nasopharynx, where the nose blends
into the throat. Normally, in children, it forms a soft mound in the roof and posterior wall of
the nasopharynx, just above and behind the uvula.
Adenoids Picture - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Oral Cavity/Oropharynx - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Teeth
Tongue
- Attached at mandible, hyoid bone
- Most common airway obstruction cause
Palate
- Roof of mouth
- Separates oropharynx and nasopharynx
,- Anterior= hard palate; Posterior= soft palate
Tonsils
- Lymph tissue - filters bacteria
- Commonly infected
Epiglottis
- Leaf-like structure
- Closes during swallowing
- Prevents aspiration
Vallecula
- "Pocket" formed by base of tongue, epiglottis
vallecula - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Larynx - Upper Airway - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Larynx
- Attached to hyoid bone
- Horseshoe shaped bone
- Supports trachea
Thyroid cartilage
- Largest laryngeal cartilage
- Shield-shaped
- Cartilage anteriorly, smooth muscle posteriorly
- "Adam's Apple"
- Glottic opening directly behind
Glottic opening
- Adult airway's narrowest point
- Dependent on muscle tone
- Contains vocal bands
Arytenoid cartilage
- Posterior attachment of vocal bands
Cricoid ring
, - First tracheal ring
- Completely cartilaginous
- Compression (Sellick maneuver) occludes esophagus
Cricothyroid membrane
- Membrane between cricoid, thyroid cartilages
- Site for surgical, needle airway placement
larynx Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Thyroid Cartilage Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Vocal Cords Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Glottic Opening Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Top view of Larynx pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Artenoid Cartilage Pic - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Cricoid / Thyroid Cartilage - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅
Larynx & Trachea - CORRECT ANSWERS✅✅Associated Structures
Thyroid gland
- below cricoid cartilage
- lies across trachea, up both sides
Carotid arteries
- branch across, lie closely alongside trachea
Jugular veins
- branch across and lie close to trachea
