Maintaining an airway

The primary purpose of maintaining a patient's airway is to ensure the proper amount of oxygen gets into his lungs, even in extreme situations. Such situations may include respiratory distress or failure, airway obstruction, altered mental status, or in individuals under sedation and general anesthesia (risk for aspiration). Some of the basic procedures include positioning and providing supplemental oxygen via a nasal cannula or masks. When all this fails, advanced airway maneuvers may be needed. These include supraglottic devices, endotracheal intubation, and surgical airway procedures like cricothyrotomy, and tracheostomy.