Airway and Ventilation Management Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic and advanced airway management, ventilation techniques, oxygen therapy, pediatric considerations, and emergency procedures.

Pulse Oximetry (Spo2)

Measures the percentage of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen, with normal levels being $>94\%$.

End-tidal CO2 (ETCO2)

Measures maximal CO2 at the end of exhalation, with normal values ranging between $35\text{--}45\,\text{mm Hg}$.

Capnometry

A digital numeric reading of carbon dioxide concentration.

Capnography

A measurement of carbon dioxide that provides a numeric reading plus a waveform graph.

Head Tilt-Chin Lift

An airway maneuver used for patients without suspected spinal trauma by placing the heel of one hand on the forehead, applying backward pressure, and lifting the chin with fingertips.

Jaw-Thrust Maneuver

An airway maneuver used if cervical spine injury is suspected by kneeling above the head, placing fingers behind the angles of the lower jaw, and moving the jaw upward.

Cross-Finger Technique

A manual technique used to open a patient's mouth by pushing the thumb on lower teeth and the index finger on upper teeth.

Fixed Suction Unit

A stationary suction device that must generate a vacuum of $>300\,\text{mm Hg}$.

Tonsil Tips (Yankauer)

Rigid pharyngeal suction catheter tips designed for clearing the mouth.

French Catheters

Nonrigid suction catheters used for clearing the nose or liquid secretions.

Oropharyngeal Airway (OPA)

An airway adjunct indicated for unresponsive patients without a gag reflex, measured from the corner of the mouth to the earlobe or angle of the jaw.

Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA)

An airway adjunct indicated for semiconscious or unconscious patients with a gag reflex, measured from the tip of the nose to the earlobe.

The Recovery Position

A body placement for unconscious, uninjured patients breathing on their own with adequate rate and volume, accomplished by rolling the patient onto their side with the upper hand placed under the cheek.

Pin-Indexing System (PISS)

A safety feature designed to prevent connecting the wrong gas cylinder to portable regulators.

American Standard Safety System (ASSS)

A safety system used for large compressed gas cylinders featuring threaded valves.

Pressure Regulators

Devices that reduce cylinder pressure to a therapeutic range of $40\text{--}70\,\text{psi}$.

Bourdon-gauge Flowmeter

An oxygen flowmeter that is not affected by gravity and can be operated in any position.

Pressure-compensated Flowmeter

A gravity-dependent oxygen flowmeter that must remain in an upright position.

Oxygen Toxicity

Tissue damage caused by excessive oxygen administration producing free radicals, particularly in COPD or heart attack patients.

Nonrebreathing Mask

An oxygen mask operating at $10\text{--}15\,\text{L/min}$ capable of delivering up to $95\%$ oxygen for patients with significant hypoxemia and adequate tidal volume.

Nasal Cannula

An oxygen delivery device operating at $1\text{--}6\,\text{L/min}$ providing $24\text{--}44\%$ oxygen concentration for mild hypoxemia.

Venturi Mask

An oxygen delivery device providing precise oxygen concentrations between $24\text{--}40\%$ via variable flow rates.

Positive-Pressure Ventilation (PPV)

A forced ventilation method that increases intrathoracic pressure, reducing venous return to the heart and decreasing cardiac output.

Gastric Distention

Inflation of the stomach caused by ventilating too forcefully or rapidly, prevented by delivering slow, gentle breaths over $1\,\text{second}$.

Pocket Mask

The preferred mouth-to-mask barrier device equipped with a one-way valve.

Bag-Mask Device (BVM)

A manual ventilation device capable of delivering nearly $100\%$ oxygen when equipped with an oxygen reservoir and supplied with $15\,\text{L/min}$ flow.

Stoma

A surgical opening in the neck used for direct ventilation via a BVM or dedicated tracheostomy tube.

DOPE Mnemonic

An acronym used to evaluate intubation complications: Dislodged/Displaced tube, Obstructed tube, Pneumothorax, Equipment failure.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

A non-invasive pressure mechanism that increases lung pressure, recruits collapsed alveoli, and forces fluid out of alveoli into circulation.

Mild Obstruction

A foreign body airway obstruction in which the patient can still talk or cough.

Severe Obstruction

A foreign body airway obstruction in which the patient cannot breathe, talk, or cough, and clutches their throat.

Blow-by Technique

A pediatric oxygen delivery method administered at $6\,\text{L/min}$ when a child refuses to tolerate a mask.

Apneic Oxygenation

The practice of applying a nasal cannula at $15\text{--}25\,\text{L/min}$ during intubation attempts to preserve oxygen delivery.

BE MAGIC Mnemonic

An ALS intubation helper mnemonic denoting Bag-mask preoxygenation, Evaluate for difficulties, Manipulate the patient, Attempt first-pass intubation, supraGlottic airway, Confirm and Correct.