Advanced Course in Difficult Airway

Description

The ACDA is scientifically supported and aims at providing an organized, coherent and articulated view on the airway approach and handling according to international guidelines Difficult Airway Society.

This course grants healthcare professionals with a technical level that allows them to skillfully and safely suit their intervention to each situation, resulting in a significant decrease of morbidity and mortality associated with this type of patients. 

At the end of the course, students must be able to:

• Recognize important details when assessing the airway;
• Recognize the predictors indicating a DA;
• Know the Algorithm of Difficult Airway Society;
• Identify material and equipment required to the Airway approach;
• Handle Airway adjuvants;
• Handle supraglottic and translaryngeal devices, and alternative and auxiliary devices;

Justification

The ACDA arises from the diversity of professional practice contexts that leads the healthcare professionals to the use of the Airway approach and subsequent ventilation of critically ill patients. 

The lack of knowledge or training is many times responsible for giving a sense of insecurity to healthcare professionals. This theoretical-practical course results from the need to fill this gap in order for them to be able to decide and intervene in a proper and safe way according to the Algorithm of the Difficult Airway Society.

The DA subject is still a real challenge for healthcare professionals. The Airway approach may be programmed, urgent or emergent, and is crucial to identify all predictors associated to the risk of a difficult airway.

Goals

General goals:

• Identifying the need to approach the Airway of a critically ill patient and doing it in compliance with established international guidelines and recommendations by the Difficult Airway Society.

Specific goals:

• Refreshing anatomic and physiological knowledge about the respiratory system;
• Defining airway assessment criteria;
• Defining DA predictors;
• Knowing the Difficult Airway Society Algorithm;
• Knowing the several supraglottic and translaryngeal devices;
• Acquiring knowledge about videolaryngoscopy, bronchofibroscopy and emergency tracheotomy;
• Providing theoretical knowledge regarding the airway approach and techniques in special situations, by means of an overall view;
• Promoting the acquisition of skills for healthcare provision to critically ill patients in all stages of the Airway Approach, from its assessment, to recognizing all required material and equipment, and handling all Airway devices and adjuvants;
• Discussing and practice, based on clinical cases (different scenarios), under instructors’ supervision

Recipients

Graduated in Medicine and/or Nursing.

Training and Evaluation Methodology

Instructors will use an explanatory methodology, with interaction and a practical approach. The approach will aim at the resolution of problems that are commonly found in clinical practice, in the sense of applying knowledge to specific and special situations.

Evaluation Methodology:

• As this is an essentially practical course, students will be given a written manual in digital support that will be handed/sent in advance, giving them enough time to prepare for the course.
• Evaluation is continuous throughout the theoretical and practical components. At the end of the third day of the course, there will be an individual theoretical test, formed by 25 multiple choice questions.
• Students must achieve a minimum of 75% in the theoretical test.

Training organization method: On-site

Hourly Load

8 hours 

Openings

Minimum of 12 and maximum of 18 openings

Enrolment includes

• 8 theoretical-practical hours
• Certificate by Difficult Airway Society
• Course Supporting Material

Instructors

Anaesthesiology and intensive care physicians and nurses, experienced in Medical Emergency, Intensive Care Medicine, Operating Room, Paediatrics and Obstetrics.