Survey of practice patterns of airway management: A comparison between academic and nonacademic setups in Karnataka

Background: Airway management is a core skill for an anaesthesiologist. However, the patterns of airway management practice vary among different practitioners, institutions, hospitals, and regions in India. In view of the limited literature in this regard, a survey was undertaken to assess different airway approach among anaesthesiologists of Karnataka. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective survey of 300 anaesthesiologists from Karnataka of varying backgrounds, from freelancers to academic departments. A prospective four-part questionnaire with 30 questions was sent to individual anaesthesiologists. Information was collected and data analyzed for demographic data, type, and preference of airway techniques and devices, availability of support, training, and complications. Results: i-gel was the most commonly used supraglottic airway device (SGAD) across age groups. There were significant differences in choice of drugs for insertion of SGAD among practitioners and academic consultants. For intubations, Vecuronium was preferred for adult patients, while Atracurium for children. The most common complication reported was desaturation and bradycardia (46%) in children. Conclusion: Survey shows differences in the practice patterns between academic and freelance setups in terms of device, technique, and drugs used. There appears to be a need to address the reasons for this difference.