Critical care clinics
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The five components integral to modern, sophisticated airway management in trauma patients include equipment, pharmacologic adjuncts, manual techniques, physical circumstances, and patient profile. Although there is a finite number of pieces and types of equipment, pharmacologic adjuncts, and manual techniques, the last two components are variable. ⋯ We believe that the commonly used airway management algorithms are a poor substitute for a conceptual understanding of the basic principles of the five components of airway management, although these decision trees may be useful as learning tools. The construction of a truly complete decision tree is virtually impossible because of the high number of individual patient profiles.
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Critical care clinics · Jan 1990
ReviewGeneral anesthesia: management considerations in the trauma patient.
Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are vital components of the resuscitation of the most seriously injured patients and those suffering from multisystem trauma. Therefore, general anesthesia administered both intravenously and endotracheally becomes the anesthetic of choice for most of this patient population. ⋯ Monitoring techniques include the basic noninvasive monitoring set forth in the American Society of Anesthesiologist's standards, as well as invasive cardiac monitoring via arterial catheters and pulmonary artery catheters. Attention to detail in the recovery room will continue the success of a well-conducted general anesthetic for the trauma patient.