Airway management

The pediatric airway and respiratory function differ from those in adults. Optimum management requires consideration of these differences, but the application of adult principles is usually sufficient to buy time ill an emergency until specialist pediatric help is available. Simple airway opening techniques such as head tilt and jaw thrust are usually sufficient to open the child's airway, but there is now a range of equipment available to bypass supraglottic airway bstruction-the strengths and weaknesses of Such devices are explored in this article. The role of tracheal intubation is also discussed, along with the pros and cons of the use of cuffed tracheal tubes in children, and methods of confirming tracheal placement of the tube.