Surgical Airway Management

Abstract

Surgical airway management is used to address a variety of diseases affecting the larynx, such as anatomic pathologies, tumors, and voice disorders. The management is typically the purview of otorhinolaryngologists, although other specialties such as pulmonary and surgical critical care physicians have lately begun performing percutaneous procedures as well. In this chapter we outline the approaches to common surgical airway management procedures as performed by otorhinolaryngologists, including direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy with intervention, cricothyroidotomy, and tracheostomy. Only traditional open procedures are described in detail here as these serve as the foundational knowledge for more advanced endoscopic interventions.