Introduction

ASA defines difficult airway as the situations in which the conventionally trained anaesthesiologist experiences difficulty with mask ventilation, laryngoscopy and intubation. Techniques and practices in airway management have long been an important concern of ASA, as illustrated in difficult airway guidelines^[1]. Management of airway is paramount to safe peri-operative care and the following steps become necessary to favourably affect outcome.

1. Practice guidelines for the management of the difficult airway. An updated report by the American Society of Anaesthesi-ologists Task Force on Management of the Difficult Airway. Anaesthesiology 2003; 98: 1269
2. Rosenblatt W. The airway approach algorithm. J Clin Anaesthesia 2004; 16: 312
3. Westhorpe RN. The position of the larynx in children and its relationship to the ease of intubation. Anaesthesia Intens Care 1987; 15: 384
4. Dickison AE. The normal and abnormal pediatric airway. Recognition and management of obstruction. Clin Chest Med 1987;8: 583-597.
5. Barach PG, Cullen BF, Stoelting RK, Cahalan MK, Stock MC. Clinical Anesthesia. 6^th New Delhi: Wolters Kluwer (India) Pvt Ltd;2009. .
6. Koay CK. Difficult tracheal intubation- analysis and management in 37 cases. Singapore Med J 1998 Mar;39(3):112-4.
7. Ghai OP. Essential paediatrics. Seventh edition. New delhi:CBS publishers,2009.
8. Nafiu OO, Burke CC, Gupta R, Christensen R, Reynolds PI, Malviya S. Association of neck circumference with perioperative adverse respiratory events in children. Pediatrics. 2011 May;127(5): e1198-205.
9. Aggarwal A, Sharma KR and Verma UC. Evaluation of "Difficult Airway Predictors in Pediatric Population" As a Clinical Investigation. J Anesth Clin Res 2012; 3:11.

Dr Pratibha Mudgal

Senior Resident, Department of Anaesthesia,

VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi