Difficult Airway Society 2025 guidelines for management of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in adults
Methodological detailssystematic review, three-round Delphi process, expert consensus, 12 guidelines group members, 65 meetings over 3 years; 1241 papers included after systematic review
- Systematic review
- Three-round Delphi process
- Expert consensus
- 12 guidelines group members, 65 meetings over 3 years; 1241 papers included after systematic review
Recommendations
As issued by the authors
Linear algorithm: tracheal intubation (Plan A); SGA ventilation (Plan B); facemask ventilation (Plan C); emergency front-of-neck airway (Plan D)
Continuous oxygen delivery throughout airway management
Maximise likelihood of successful tracheal intubation at the first attempt
Confirm ventilation with waveform capnography
Progress through the algorithm in the event of failure
Multidisciplinary teamwork; ongoing education and training
Original publication
Difficult Airway Society 2025 guidelines for management of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in adults. Br J Anaesth. Published 7 November 2025. doi:10.
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