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Updated four-step checklist

Emergency Airway Checklist

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Updated four-step Airway Checklist showing Preparation, Timeout, Failed Attempt or Difficult Airway, and Post-Airway

Checklist phases

Choose a phase to move into the same step-based checklist content used throughout the site.

Step 1: PreparationPrepare oxygenation, equipment, physiology, RSI medications, and the team before induction.Step 2: TimeoutSilence the room, state the airway plans, and confirm code status, device, operator, positioning, and medications.Step 3: Failed Attempt / Difficult AirwayAfter every failed attempt, change a meaningful variable and escalate early.Step 4: Post-AirwayConfirm the tube, secure it, set the ventilator, start analgesia/sedation, and complete follow-up.

Use Quick Hits / Clinical References for calculators, rescue pathways, and cognitive-offload tools.

About this resource
Created by: Andrew Pirotte, MD; Kyle Brown, MD; Reba Hodge, MD; Amanda Vanderwerf, PharmD, BCEMP; Morgan Kimball, PharmD, BCEMP; Joshua Mohess Clinical review: Emergency medicine faculty review completed. Medication content reviewed by Amanda Vanderwerf, PharmD, BCEMP, and Morgan Kimball, PharmD, BCEMP. Last reviewed: 2026-07-23 Next scheduled review: 2027-01-23 Designed for: EM residents, emergency physicians, EMS clinicians, airway educators, and simulation faculty Important: Educational resource and cognitive-aid guide only; not a bedside order set or substitute for local protocol, medical direction, or clinical judgment. Website contact: [email protected]