Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review
Airway management is a common and critical procedure in acute settings, such as the Emergency Department (ED) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of hospitals. Many of the traditional physical examination methods have limitations in airway assessment. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a promi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Diagnostics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/9/1541 |
| _version_ | 1827743079085375488 |
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| author | Judy Lin Ryan Bellinger Andrew Shedd Jon Wolfshohl Jennifer Walker Jack Healy Jimmy Taylor Kevin Chao Yi-Hsuan Yen Ching-Fang Tiffany Tzeng Eric H. Chou |
| author_facet | Judy Lin Ryan Bellinger Andrew Shedd Jon Wolfshohl Jennifer Walker Jack Healy Jimmy Taylor Kevin Chao Yi-Hsuan Yen Ching-Fang Tiffany Tzeng Eric H. Chou |
| author_sort | Judy Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Airway management is a common and critical procedure in acute settings, such as the Emergency Department (ED) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of hospitals. Many of the traditional physical examination methods have limitations in airway assessment. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a promising tool for airway management due to its familiarity, accessibility, safety, and non-invasive nature. It can assist physicians in identifying relevant anatomy of the upper airway with objective measurements of airway parameters, and it can guide airway interventions with dynamic real-time images. To date, ultrasound has been considered highly accurate for assessment of the difficult airway, confirmation of proper endotracheal intubation, prediction of post-extubation laryngeal edema, and preparation for cricothyrotomy by identifying the cricothyroid membrane. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the key evidence on the use of ultrasound in airway management. Databases including PubMed and Embase were systematically searched. A search strategy using a combination of the term “ultrasound” combined with several search terms, i.e., “probe”, “anatomy”, “difficult airway”, “endotracheal intubation”, “laryngeal edema”, and “cricothyrotomy” was performed. In conclusion, POCUS is a valuable tool with multiple applications ranging from pre- and post-intubation management. Clinicians should consider using POCUS in conjunction with traditional exam techniques to manage the airway more efficiently in the acute setting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:20:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c3cb94281dd4113bf0bcb2734129cd3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4418 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:20:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diagnostics |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c3cb94281dd4113bf0bcb2734129cd32023-11-17T22:45:05ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182023-04-01139154110.3390/diagnostics13091541Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive ReviewJudy Lin0Ryan Bellinger1Andrew Shedd2Jon Wolfshohl3Jennifer Walker4Jack Healy5Jimmy Taylor6Kevin Chao7Yi-Hsuan Yen8Ching-Fang Tiffany Tzeng9Eric H. Chou10Department of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USABurnett School of Medicine, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76109, USABurnett School of Medicine, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76109, USABurnett School of Medicine, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76109, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USAAirway management is a common and critical procedure in acute settings, such as the Emergency Department (ED) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of hospitals. Many of the traditional physical examination methods have limitations in airway assessment. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a promising tool for airway management due to its familiarity, accessibility, safety, and non-invasive nature. It can assist physicians in identifying relevant anatomy of the upper airway with objective measurements of airway parameters, and it can guide airway interventions with dynamic real-time images. To date, ultrasound has been considered highly accurate for assessment of the difficult airway, confirmation of proper endotracheal intubation, prediction of post-extubation laryngeal edema, and preparation for cricothyrotomy by identifying the cricothyroid membrane. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the key evidence on the use of ultrasound in airway management. Databases including PubMed and Embase were systematically searched. A search strategy using a combination of the term “ultrasound” combined with several search terms, i.e., “probe”, “anatomy”, “difficult airway”, “endotracheal intubation”, “laryngeal edema”, and “cricothyrotomy” was performed. In conclusion, POCUS is a valuable tool with multiple applications ranging from pre- and post-intubation management. Clinicians should consider using POCUS in conjunction with traditional exam techniques to manage the airway more efficiently in the acute setting.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/9/1541ultrasoundpoint-of-caredifficult airwayendotracheal intubationcricothyrotomy |
| spellingShingle | Judy Lin Ryan Bellinger Andrew Shedd Jon Wolfshohl Jennifer Walker Jack Healy Jimmy Taylor Kevin Chao Yi-Hsuan Yen Ching-Fang Tiffany Tzeng Eric H. Chou Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review Diagnostics ultrasound point-of-care difficult airway endotracheal intubation cricothyrotomy |
| title | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_fullStr | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_short | Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Airway Evaluation and Management: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_sort | point of care ultrasound in airway evaluation and management a comprehensive review |
| topic | ultrasound point-of-care difficult airway endotracheal intubation cricothyrotomy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/13/9/1541 |
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