Patient safety
procedure. Knowing each team member well, from their skills to their first name, is a huge advantage for ensuring best use of everyone’s strengths at time of crisis.
Conclusion Airway management during surgery is critically important and the stakes are high if complications arise. The most effective way to mitigate risk is early assessment to identify patients with potentially difficult airways prior to surgery and to plan accordingly. But in an emergency situation, we need to implement a rehearsed action plan to ensure patient safety. This requires a well-prepared team who understand the individualised strategy in place, have undertaken the right training and communicate well.
References 1. Royal College of Anaesthetists and The Difficult Airway Society (2011). Major complications of airway management in the United Kingdom. RCoA and DAS. Available at:
https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/research/ research-projects/national-audit-projects- naps/nap4-major-complications-airway- management
2. Mitchell, H. (2024, September 25). Advanced Airway Management in patients with a known complex disease. https://www.
hssib.org.uk/patient-safety-investigations/ advanced-airway-management-in-patients- with-a-known-complex-disease/
3. Difficult Airway Society. Difficult airway guidelines. Available at: https://das.
uk.com/guidelines/
4. The Royal College of Anaesthetists. (n.d.). Flash Card Team Training. https://www.
rcoa.ac.uk/safety-standards-quality/ patient-safety/flash-card-team-training
5. Airway leads. The Royal College of Anaesthetists. (n.d.-a).
https://rcoa.ac.uk/ safety-standards-quality/professional- support/networks/airway-leads
6. Airway leads database. The Royal College of Anaesthetists. (n.d.-a). https://www.rcoa.
ac.uk/airway-leads-database
7. Kelly, F. E., Frerk, C., Bailey, C. R., Cook, T. M.,
Ferguson, K., Flin, R., Fong, K., Groom, P., John, C., Lang, A. R., Meek, T., Miller, K. L., Richmond, L., Sevdalis, N., & Stacey, M. R. (2023, January 11). Implementing human factors in anaesthesia:
About the author CSJ
Dr. Sandeep Sudan is the Airway Leads Advisor for the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Difficult Airway Society. A Consultant Anaesthetist at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, with over 20 years’ experience, he qualified from Medical School in 1993 and completed anaesthetic training through what was the South East School of Anaesthesia. He has served terms as both College Tutor and Regional Adviser in Anaesthesia. Dr. Sudan has regular sessions in shared airway surgery and is a faculty member of the RCoA airway workshop days.
guidance for clinicians, departments and hospitals. https://associationofanaesthetists-
publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/anae.15941
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