Skip to airway content Airway of the MonthRead the patient. Rescue the airway. Run the room.

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Seven structured modules for learners and faculty. Each module includes objectives, core points, practice prompts, related videos, and a progress checkbox saved locally.

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15–20 min

1. Preparation: build the room

Objective: Create a room where first-pass success and immediate rescue are both possible.

  • Oxygenation pathway
  • Suction x2
  • BVM and rescue ventilation
  • Positioning/ramp
  • Primary and backup device
  • Tube/stylet/bougie
  • Rescue airway

Practice: Have a learner physically touch each item and verbalize its purpose before starting the scenario.

Related videos

10–15 min

2. Timeout: shared mental model

Objective: Make the plan explicit before paralysis removes options.

  • Indication
  • Physiology risk
  • Allergies/contraindications
  • Drug plan
  • Plan A/B/C
  • CICO trigger
  • Post-intubation sedation

Practice: Run a 30-second airway timeout aloud using the scripted template on the Step 2 page.

Related videos

15 min

3. Oxygenation and preoxygenation

Objective: Choose an oxygenation strategy that matches the patient’s physiology and preserves margin during the attempt.

  • Apneic oxygenation
  • NIV/BVM pathway
  • PEEP and seal
  • Denitrogenation time
  • Positioning
  • Plan B oxygenation

Practice: Compare NRB, nasal cannula, BVM with PEEP, and NIV setups in a skills station.

Related videos

20–30 min

4. Devices: blades, bougie, video, fiberoptic

Objective: Match device selection to anatomy, physiology, operator skill, and rescue plan.

  • Mac vs Miller
  • Video laryngoscopy
  • Hyperangulated blade mechanics
  • Bougie technique
  • Fiberoptic pathway
  • Device troubleshooting

Practice: Run the same airway model with direct laryngoscopy, standard geometry video, hyperangulated video, and bougie-first approaches.

Related videos

20 min

5. Execution: clean, view, landmarks, pass, prove

Objective: Slow down tube passage enough to prevent common view-to-tube errors.

  • Clean the view
  • Identify landmarks
  • Optimize before passage
  • Hover and wait
  • Manage tracheal ring hang-up
  • Prove placement

Practice: Use a laryngoscopy video and pause before tube passage: ask learners to identify the landmarks and next move.

Related videos

20–30 min

6. Rescue and special airways

Objective: Stop repeating the same failed attempt and make the next move meaningfully different.

  • Change oxygenation
  • Change position
  • Change operator/device
  • Use bougie/SGA/fiberoptic
  • Cricothyrotomy trigger
  • Trach emergency actions

Practice: Give the team a failed attempt. Require them to name exactly what changes before attempt two.

Related videos

15 min

7. Post-airway: make the tube safe

Objective: Prevent preventable harm after tube placement.

  • Sedation/analgesia
  • Ventilator setup
  • Hemodynamic reassessment
  • Tube depth
  • CXR/EtCO₂ documentation
  • Debrief

Practice: Run a “tube is in” drill: learners must complete post-airway tasks before leaving the room.

Related videos

Suggested skills-lab flow

  1. Five-minute pre-brief: four-step workflow and CICO trigger.
  2. Ten-minute equipment station: oxygen, suction, BVM, tube/stylet/bougie, devices.
  3. Fifteen-minute laryngoscopy station: clean, view, landmarks, cords, hover, wait, pass.
  4. Ten-minute rescue station: change something, SGA, fiberoptic, cric kit, trach emergency.
  5. Five-minute debrief: what changed between attempts and what should become a habit.
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]