This course looks at serious airway incidents in anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine, with a particular focus on unrecognised oesophageal intubation, structured airway planning and calling for help early. It explains why skilled clinicians become fixated during airway emergencies, what to do immediately after an incident, and how to show insight and remediation to an employer or regulator.
What you will learn
- Explain why unrecognised oesophageal intubation remains a cause of death and severe harm, and apply the principle 'no trace, wrong place' to capnography interpretation.
- Describe the structure of the Difficult Airway Society approach to unanticipated difficult intubation in adults, including the transition to front-of-neck access in a can't intubate, can't oxygenate situation.
- Prepare and verbalise an airway plan with the team before induction, including when and how help will be called.
- Recognise human factors such as fixation, task saturation and hierarchy that contribute to airway incidents.
- Take the correct immediate actions after an airway incident and write a reflection and remediation plan that shows insight.
Course content
- Why airway incidents matter (2 min)
- Unrecognised oesophageal intubation (3 min)
- Planning the airway and the DAS approach (3 min)
- Why airway incidents happen: human factors (2 min)
- Calling for help and escalation (2 min)
- After an airway incident: immediate actions and regulator expectations (2 min)
- Case study and remediation plan (3 min)
- Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
- Guided reflection (15 min)
Standards and guidance covered
- GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024), including the duties on keeping knowledge and skills up to date, working within your competence, patient safety and openness when things go wrong
- GMC and NMC: Openness and honesty when things go wrong: the professional duty of candour
- Royal College of Anaesthetists: Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services (GPAS)
- Association of Anaesthetists: Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovery (current edition)
- Difficult Airway Society 2025 guidelines for management of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation in adults, and related DAS guidance for obstetric, critical care, paediatric and extubation settings
- Project for Universal Management of Airways and international airway societies: consensus guideline on preventing unrecognised oesophageal intubation (2022)
- National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs), current version
Certificate
Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.
Study free at your own pace on any device.
Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.