Airway Management - Child Nursing

A patent airway is vital for survival and is generally self maintained by the patient, however, during significant illness there may be a need for  you to intervene to support the patient's airway. Depending on the situation airway support can range from simple changes in the patient's position through to advanced or surgical airways. The need for airway support can either be unplanned and and emergency situation or as part of a planned intervention such as general anaesthetic for surgery/intensive care. Good airway management is an integral part of basic, intermediate and advanced life support and as such being comfortable with the equipment and how to use it is a vital part of the nurses skill set.

The choice of airway support will be guided by both the patient's condition and the clinician managing the airway's skill set and training. It may be that you are the clinician managing the airway or it may be that you will look after patient's with advanced airways inserted by other clinicians who then hand over care of the patient to yourself, such as in an intensive care setting. As such it is important to have a good understanding of the processes, equipment and underlying airway physiology to ensure any issues or changes in the patient's need for airway support is identified at the earliest possible opportunity.

Read the illustrated guides to Airway Management and Adjuncts on ClinicalSkills.net here

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Airway management  

Insertion of an oropharyngeal airway

Please see the above basic life support videos for infant and child

Specifically for infant airway access video at 1.32-3.14 time frame  

Specifically for child airway access video at 0.15-0.50 time frame 

Click on the button below to navigate to the 'Take a Test' area of ClinicalSkills.net. Please make sure you're logged into ClinicalSkills.net already, otherwise you may not be able to open and take the test. Once you have reached the 'Take a Test' area, select 'Local Tests' and then click on the test called 'Airway Management in Children' to begin. You will need to score 80% or more to pass. Make sure you've read the ClinicalSkills.net procedure thoroughly before taking the test as many of the answers will be found within there! 

Chapter 11 of the Oxford handbook of clinical skills for children and young people's nursing - Emergency and high dependency care, contains more information on basic airway Manoeuvres and the insertion of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways. 

Oxford handbook of clinical skills for children's and young people's nursing 2012 

Airway Equipment Overview:

www.geekymedics.com/airway-equipment-explained/

(Page updated October 2022 Chantelle Rea and Kate Heaton-Stockton)

Date reviewed: October 2022

Next review: October 2023