How To: Use and understand airway management equipment

Every physician, medical student or resident, from emergency room doctors and nurses to anesthesiologists, need to know of the most fundamental skill sets: airway assessment and management. But before one can be proficient with this skill set, you need to know the tools of the trade.

Airway management requires familiarity with basic airway equipment, and without knowing how or why you use these items, you will do nothing but cause danger to the patient. This video is a detailed look at the equipment used for airway management, what they do and how you use them.

Learn about the face mask, which is how you deliver positive pressure ventilation, and find out the tips to getting a successful seal. Other items covered are the oropharyngeal airway (OPA), nasopharyngeal airway, laryngeal mask airway (LMA), laryngoscope (with the curved Macintosh blade or Miller straight blade), endotracheal tube, stylet, and bougie. This information is very helpful for medical students learning how to perform a laryngoscopy.

Check out the University of Virginia for more information.

And to learn how to put this equipment to use, check out "How to intubate a patient (endotracheal intubation procedure)" on WonderHowTo.