Ultrasound Imaging in Airway Management: A Boon?

Airway management is the basic skill acquired and mastered by anesthesiologist and is their prime  responsibility. Difficulties in optimal airway management can lead to serious adverse effects and failure can even lead to mortality. Due to these reasons, diligent efforts are continuously being undertaken to improve the care in form of introduction of various guidelines, audits, safe monitoring standards and newer airway gadgets. Conventional imaging includes x-rays, computed tomography (CT) or Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However these have risk of radiations hazards and do not provide real time imaging required during airway management. Ultrasound (US) is one such relatively recent adjunct to anaesthesiologist’s armentarium. Since its inception in airway management, the list of applications of ultrasonography in perioperative, emergency and critical care settings is increasing exponentially. Its advantages include safety, simplicity, portability, non-invasiveness, cost effectiveness and reproducibility. Ample literature now exists to support its utility as well as efficacy.