Difficult Airway Society Guidelines for the management of tracheal extubation

• Published in: Anaesthesia Vol. 67; no. 3; pp. 318 - 340
• Main Authors: Mitchell, V., Dravid, R., Patel, A., Swampillai, C., Higgs, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2012; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Airway Extubation - adverse effects; Airway Extubation - methods; Airway management; Anesthesia; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Guidelines; Humans; Laryngeal Masks; Larynx - physiology; Medical sciences; Piperidines - pharmacology; Reflex; Throat; Anesthesia; Extubation; Clinical management
• ISSN: 0003-2409; 1365-2044; 1365-2044
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2012.07075.x

Summary Tracheal extubation is a high‐risk phase of anaesthesia. The majority of problems that occur during extubation and emergence are of a minor nature, but a small and significant number may result in injury or death. The need for a strategy incorporating extubation is mentioned in several international airway management guidelines, but the subject is not discussed in detail, and the emphasis has been on extubation of the patient with a difficult airway. The Difficult Airway Society has developed guidelines for the safe management of tracheal extubation in adult peri‐operative practice. The guidelines discuss the problems arising during extubation and recovery and promote a strategic, stepwise approach to extubation. They emphasise the importance of planning and preparation, and include practical techniques for use in clinical practice and recommendations for post‐extubation care.