Pediatric Trauma Surgery Newsletter: Pediatric Airway Management

Description: Resuscitation of a child who has been the victim of trauma often involves management of the airway. Pediatric airway management can be difficult under the best of circumstances and become increasingly challenging and stressful under suboptimal conditions. While management of an adult airway is familiar to most first responders and hospital personnel, management of the pediatric airway is a less frequent but more complex process. There is a wide variation in equipment sizes in pediatrics and medication doses must be calculated with more precision. This newsletter will discuss some of the unique characteristics of airway management in the pediatric patient including medication, equipment and techniques for securement.