Abstract

 

 

Objectives: We performed a survey questionnaire for the year 2004 on preoperative airway evaluation and documentation, dissemination, and communication of difficult airway (DA) information at anesthesia departments in Austria to assess their attention to the problem of the DA.

 

Mailing Procedure and Responses: The questionnaire forms were mailed to all 124 clinical directors of the anesthesia departments at public hospitals in Austria; the response rate was 66 percent.

 

Main Results: During the preoperative evaluation, focused patient interviews and reviews of available medical records were routinely performed in 76 percent, the presence of congenital abnormalities and acquired diseases frequently associated with a DA was routinely noted in 80 percent, and physical airway examination was routinely performed in 90 percent. The findings and test results and the planned stategies for airway management arranged with the patient were routinely documented in the preoperative evaluation protocol in 74 and 48 percent, respectively. Medic alert systems for the previously experienced or anticipated DA after hospital admission of the patient were provided in 30 percent. The experienced DA was routinely documented in the anesthesia record in 80 percent and routinely communicated to the patient in 78 percent.

 

Conclusions: We demonstrated that there is much room for improvements in the attention to the problem of the DA at anesthesia departments in Austria. Benchmarking with the results of this survey and refining departmental directives may contribute to improved patient care.  

 

 

Introduction