The Difficult Airway Trolley: A Narrative Review and Practical Guide

Table 1

National and international guidelines: general recommendations regarding difficult airway equipment.

Nations, year	Reference	Publication type	Recommendations regarding difficult airway equipment
Australia/New Zealand, 2012	[11, 28]	Online (ANZCA web page)	List of essential (minimum) equipment. Additional items “may be added at the discretion of each individual department.” List of supplementary equipment. Emphasizes careful selection of items.
Canada, 2013	[15, 16]	Peer-reviewed article	No specific recommendations regarding content of a DAT. General advice regarding immediate availability of equipment for difficult airway management. Emphasis on the need for adequate equipment in obstetrical units.
Germany, 2015	[19]	Peer-reviewed article	List of minimum equipment for the anesthesiologists’ workstation. Airway management equipment should be readily available also in the PACU and ICU. No comments regarding a DAT.
India, 2016	[17]	Peer-reviewed article	Specific suggestions for content of a difficult airway cart, including drawer organization. List of mandatory equipment and desirable equipment.
India, 2016	[29]	Peer-reviewed article	Guidelines focused on unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in obstetric patients. Brief recommendations regarding selection of equipment.
Italy, 2005	[18]	Peer-reviewed article	List of mandatory devices and devices which should be available upon request.
Japan, 2014	[20]	Peer-reviewed article	Rescue airway devices should be accessible “within seconds from any operating room,” e.g., in a DAT. Limited recommendations regarding specific equipment.
Sweden, 2018	[10]	Online (SFAI web page)	DATs with standardized equipment at all sites where anesthesia or intensive care is provided. Brief, general advice regarding equipment.
United Kingdom, 2015	[13, 30]	Peer-reviewed article, online (DAS web page)	Detailed recommendations regarding setup, organization, and implementation of a DAT. Advice about the design and contents of an ideal DAT. Emphasizes limiting the number of devices to improve decision-making.
United Kingdom, 2015	[24]	Peer-reviewed article	Guidelines concerning difficult/failed tracheal intubation in obstetrics. Standardization of airway equipment within the hospital is recommended. Limited recommendations regarding which equipment to include in a DAT.

ANZCA = Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists; DAS = difficult airway society; DAT  =  difficult airway trolley; ICU = intensive care unit; PACU = postanesthesia care unit; SFAI = Svensk förening för anestesi och intensivvård (Swedish Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care).