Understanding and improving airway management in companion animals - part 1

Airway Management, briefly taught within the veterinary nursing curriculum, is performed many times a day and a vital part of the anaesthesia process. Students are shown how to place an endotracheal tube, taught little about dead-space and airway resistance but, although there are many publications on the pitfalls of intubation, it is often sub-optimally managed in a busy clinic. To provide excellent, safe airway management for our patients, we must understand the history, mechanics and pitfalls about the process: It is only then can we truly apply better techniques in order to improve both care and safety to our patients.