Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Preoxygenation Techniques for Tracheal Intubation in Critically Ill Adults Utilizing Oxygen Mask and Noninvasive Ventilation
Published on: December 5, 2025
One-Year Experience with the Institution of a Critical Airway Team at an Academic Medical Center
Meera N Gonzalez1, Brian Weston2, Tarik K Yuce3
1Department of Anesthesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Background:
At our institution, there were a number of adverse patient events related to an unstable airway that led to the formation of a designated critical airway response team (CAT). It was hoped that this would improve patient outcomes in such matters.
Objective:
Our aim was to evaluate the impact of the creation of the CAT.
Methods:
A review of the activations of the CAT for 1 year was conducted.
Results:
We reviewed 51 CAT activations, the majority (71%) occurred in the emergency department (ED) and the most common reasons for activation were angioedema (41%) and epiglottitis (12%). Fiber optic intubation was the most common method used to secure the airway, 22% of the cases were transported to the operating room for management. Only one surgical airway was required and no adverse outcome related to the airway occurred in the studied group.
Conclusions:
The creation of a critical airway has been considered a success in terms of patient management at our institution. It has been most commonly used in the management of life-threatening angioedema in the ED.
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