Evidence-Based Emergency Management Of The Pediatric Airway.

Pediatric airway emergencies are rare, yet they are anxiety-provoking events that can occur in both pediatric and general emergency departments. Several novel concepts regarding preoxygenation during rapid sequence intubation, anticipation and prevention of intubation-related complications, the utility of premedication agents, and the selection of induction and paralytic agents have been highlighted in recent clinical trials and review articles. In this review, we analyze the data behind these concepts, highlight current pediatric literature related to these issues, and present reasonable conclusions based on the best available evidence. We begin with an analysis of the anatomic and physiologic differences commonly encountered in the pediatric patient during rapid sequence intubation, and we then review a systematic approach to the assessment of the pediatric patient in respiratory distress (ie, the pediatric assessment triangle) and conclude with a simple approach to pediatric rapid sequence intubation, starting with the preparatory phase and ending with postintubation management. We additionally highlight several alternative airway devices and discuss special situations, including rapid sequence intubation in the obese pediatric patient and in the difficult airway patient.