Air Management

Airway management is the assessment, planning, and series of medical procedures required to maintain or restore an individual's ventilation, or breathing. By maintaining an open airway, air can flow from the nose and mouth into the lungs.

Indications for airway management are a failure to oxygenate, ventilate, or maintain a patent airway. The modality of airway management primarily depends on the cause and severity of the patient's condition but is also subject to environmental factors and clinician skills.

In patients with well-controlled asthma, routine mechanical ventilation can be used. However, when airflow obstruction is present, mechanical ventilation becomes a challenge. Bronchospasm causes an obstructive respiratory pattern, and prolongation of the expiratory phase of ventilation occurs.