Airway Management Field Guide PDF | RSI, Intubation & CCT Reference
Airway Management Field Guide PDF | RSI, Intubation & CCT Reference
Airway management is one of the highest-risk procedures in critical care transport. This digital field guide gives EMS, flight, CCT, emergency, ICU, and respiratory clinicians a structured reference for RSI, difficult airway planning, pre-oxygenation, video laryngoscopy, capnography, failed airway response, NIV, special populations, troubleshooting, and handoff.
The Code Blue Field Guide: Airway Management in Transport is a digital PDF reference designed for clinicians managing high-risk airways during ground, flight, and interfacility transport.
This guide focuses on the transport decisions that matter most: when to intubate before departure, how to identify difficult airways, how to optimize physiology before RSI, which medications fit the scenario, how to plan backup airways, how to confirm placement, and how to respond when the airway deteriorates in transit.
Inside the Guide
You’ll find transport-focused sections on:
- Airway management in transport
- RSI, pharmacology, and technique
- Decision to intubate before transport
- Difficult airway prediction
- LEMON, MOANS, RODS, and physiologic difficulty
- Pre-intubation optimization
- Shock, acidosis, hypoxemia, and RV failure considerations
- RSI induction agents and paralytics
- Etomidate, ketamine, propofol, midazolam, rocuronium, and succinylcholine
- RSI in shock, TBI, asthma, and pregnancy
- Pre-oxygenation and apneic oxygenation
- NIV / BiPAP pre-oxygenation
- Video laryngoscopy and bougie technique
- First-pass success strategies
- Plan A / Plan B / Plan C airway planning
- Supraglottic airway rescue
- Waveform capnography confirmation
- ETT depth, cuff pressure, and securement
- Post-intubation management
- Failed airway and CICO response
- Scalpel-bougie-tube cricothyrotomy
- NIV, BiPAP, and CPAP in transport
- NIV failure recognition and monitoring
- Extubation considerations during transport
- Obese, trauma, pregnant, burn, and pediatric airway considerations
- Pre-transport airway checklist
- Airway troubleshooting in transit
- Airway-focused SBAR handoff
Who This Is For
This guide was created for:
- Critical care transport nurses
- Flight nurses
- Flight paramedics
- Ground CCT providers
- ALS paramedics
- Emergency nurses
- ICU nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Transport clinicians
- EMS educators
- Field training officers
- Clinicians preparing for high-acuity airway transports
Why It’s Different
Most airway references are written for the emergency department, ICU, or controlled procedural setting. This guide is written for the transport clinician who has to make airway decisions before and during movement, with limited space, limited personnel, less-than-ideal positioning, and fewer backup options.
Who This Is For
This guide was created for:
- Critical care transport nurses
- Flight nurses
- Flight paramedics
- Ground CCT providers
- ALS paramedics
- Emergency nurses
- ICU nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Transport clinicians
- EMS educators
- Field training officers
- Clinicians preparing for high-acuity airway transports
Why It’s Different
Most airway references are written for the emergency department, ICU, or controlled procedural setting. This guide is written for the transport clinician who has to make airway decisions before and during movement, with limited space, limited personnel, less-than-ideal positioning, and fewer backup options.
Important Clinical Disclaimer
This guide is intended for educational and reference use by trained healthcare professionals. It does not replace clinical judgment, formal airway training, simulation, local protocols, medical direction, scope of practice, agency policy, manufacturer guidance, or institutional procedures.