The Vortex Approach

airway management airwaylifeline airwayoptimisation vortex approach Jan 28, 2024

The Vortex Approach: Simple. Familiar. Universal. 🌏

When we give patients general anaesthetic drugs, they often become apnoeic, meaning that we must provide oxygen for them. This is when we enter The Vortex! πŸŒͺπŸŒͺ

The Vortex Approach describes:
πŸ‘‰ Lifelines (Are the only 3 ways to provide oxygen via the mouth)
πŸ‘‰ Bag-Mask Ventilation (BMV),
πŸ‘‰ Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA)
πŸ‘‰ Endotracheal Tube (ETT).
πŸ‘‰ Lifeline Optimisation (How to ensure a “best attempt”)
πŸ‘‰ Maximum attempts (No more than 3 for each lifeline)
πŸ‘‰ The Green Zone (the zone of relative safety where your lifeline has succeeded)
CICO Rescue

So why is The Vortex Approach so widely implemented? πŸ€”
πŸ”ΊIt creates a shared mental model of airway management. 😁
πŸ”ΊVortex airway rescue trolleys are organised, uncluttered and well labelled. βœ…
πŸ”ΊUse of simple cognitive aids, prompts and visual cues that can be easily taught and implemented. πŸ‘€
πŸ”ΊUses standardised language to improve situational awareness of airway emergencies. 🚨
πŸ”ΊFacilitates early recognition and preparation for the need for CICO rescue. 🫑

That’s The Vortex Approach in a nutshell!

Check out our Anaesthetic Assistant Starter Course for our Zoom recording on using The Vortex Approach for managing the unexpected difficult airway, presented by Dr Jack! πŸ‘¨‍🏫

Build knowledge. βœ…
Improve safety. βœ…

Ref: https://vortexapproach.org/

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