Emergency Neurological Life Support: Airway, Ventilation, and Sedation

• DOI: 10.1007/s12028-017-0451-2
• Publication Date: 2017-09-14T17:56:08Z
• Authors: Venkatakrishna Ra...; Becky Riggs; David B. Seder
• Keywords: Emergency Medical Services; Critical Care; Respiration, Artificial; 3. Good health; Life Support Care; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Clinical Protocols; Neurology; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Anesthesia; Analgesia; Airway Management; Nervous System Diseases; Emergency Treatment

Airway management and ventilation are central to the resuscitation of the neurologically ill. These patients often have evolving processes that threaten the airway and adequate ventilation. Furthermore, intubation, ventilation, and sedative choices directly affect brain perfusion. Therefore, airway, ventilation, and sedation was chosen as an emergency neurological life support protocol. Topics include airway management, when and how to intubate with special attention to hemodynamics and preservation of cerebral blood flow, mechanical ventilation settings, and the use of sedative agents based on the patient's neurological status.