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By: V. G. Veeresh and Sujata Japannavar.
1.Tutor, Department of Nursing, Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute, Hubballi, Karnataka, India.
2.Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute, Hubballi, Karnataka, India.
Respiratory distress is a serious issue in critical care units. Maintaining patent airways is the basic vital procedure in intensive care units. Maintain Airways (Airway Management) is performed by various methods depending on the extent of trauma and need of ventilation and oxygen saturation. Nurses assist patients round the clock for basic and advanced care. It will be of crucial importance for nurses to know and understand the various methods of airway maintenance in emergency and critical situations. Hence the present review focuses on various methods used in airway maintenance in intensive care units. The present article reviews the basic importance of airway, indication for airway maintenance in medical condition, pre-requisitions for airway maintenance, ladder approach for airway maintenance, devices used to monitor airway and role of critical care nurse in airway maintenance.
Keywords: Airway management, intensive care unit, emergency unit, types of airways, role of nurse
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Citation:
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