Preoperative assessment of the airway

SummaryFailure to secure a patient's airway can cause severe and long-lasting consequences, including death. Indeed, failed airway management is a leading cause of legal claims in the field of anesthesiology. Anticipating and preparing for difficulty in airway management is crucial to avoiding airway catastrophes. Many of the traditional methods for predicting a difficult airway have low sensitivity and specificity, but prediction models and adjuncts to traditional methods of airway evaluation are being researched extensively. This article reviews airway assessment approaches, including the use of newer airway assessment models and imaging, and emphasizes the need for involvement of multiple disciplines to improve airway safety.