DAS Trolley NHSL - Adult Unexpected Difficult Intubation Strategy

Target Audience/Patient Group

TARGET AUDIENCE	Secondary Care Across NHSL
PATIENT GROUP	Patients undergoing advanced airway management/intubation

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Key to Abbreviations

eFONA: Emergency Front of Neck Access

ETT: Endotracheal Tube

NMB: Neuromuscular Blockade

SAD: Supraglottic Airway Device

BJA (Jan 2026) Difficult Airway Society 2025 guideline for management of the unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in adults. https://www.bjanaesthesia.org/article/S0007-0912(25)00693-2/fulltext

Lead Author(s):	Dr Cairn MacFarlane, ST6 Anaesthetics
Endorsing Body:	CGGEG
Version Number:	1.0
Approval date:	TBC
Review Date:	TBC
Responsible Person (if different from lead author)

Contributing Author/Authors:	Dr Rajmohan Padmanabhan (Consultant Anaesthetist and UHW Airway Lead), Dr Claire McIntyre (Consultant Anaesthetist and UHM Airway Lead), Dr Graeme Carroll (Consultant Anaesthetist and UHH Airway Lead)
Consultation Process/Stakeholders:
Distribution

Date	Lead Author	Change	Version No.
		e.g. Review, revise and update of policy in line with contemporary professional structures and practice	1
			2
			3
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			5

Last reviewed: 11/05/2026

Next review date: 11/05/2029

Author(s): NHSL.

Version: 1.0

Approved By: CGGEG

Reviewer name(s): Cairn Macfarlane.

Document Id: May 2026