Equipment for airway management

Airway management allows protection and provision of gas exchange and needs safe, effective and reliable use of equipment, often in combination. A management plan with back-up plans is crucial. Correct equipment use needs correct knowledge, skill and attitude. We describe the ‘RAW’ approach (Ready, Able, Willing) and list five phases of airway management in which equipment is used. These are: facemask ventilation with adjuncts, airway clearance with suction or foreign body removal, use of supraglottic airway devices, tracheal intubation with a variety of laryngoscopes including the flexible fibre-optic bronchoscope and subglottic management using cricothyroidotomy or tracheostomy. Tracheal tubes and aids for placement are described.