New Zealand
This year an “airway leads network” was established in New Zealand. Following consultation with ANZCA and the NZSA, an introductory article was published in the August 2017 edition of New Zealand Anaesthesia which is the magazine of the New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists. It was explained that an airway lead is an anaesthetist who promotes safe airway management within their hospital. The responsibilities of an airway lead were proposed, including:
- Overseeing local training for anaesthetists and promoting comprehensive airway management education.
- Ensuring that local policies for airway emergencies exist and are disseminated.
- Ensuring that appropriate difficult airway equipment is available, complies with local guidelines and is standardised within the organisation, according to the ANZCA Professional document PS56, 2012, Equipment to Manage a Difficult Airway.
- Actively engage in airway device procurement and ensuring that equipment is fit for purpose and complies with a minimum standard, as outlined in the DAS ADEPT study, Anaesthesia, 2011 Aug; 66 (8) :726-37.
- Liaising specifically with the intensive care unit and emergency department to ensure consistency and standardisation throughout the hospital.
- Overseeing the auditing of airway complications, ensuring that necessary corrective measures are implemented and that appropriate reporting of all serious airway morbidity and mortality is completed.
The New Zealand airway lead network was put in place on March 23, 2018 at a meeting held in Auckland. Representatives from 21 of the 23 public hospitals are now part of that network. This is now the third airway lead network in the world after United Kingdom and Ireland. We acknowledge the support and advice received from colleagues in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is anticipated that the airway lead will be accepted as an important leadership role within New Zealand hospitals.
New Zealand difficult airway registry
Work started on this project several years ago, with initial discussions involving the New Zealand Medic Alert foundation. Recent advances have occurred with software development, such that a New Zealand difficult airway registry is looking more likely. Discussions are underway to define requirements for this project.
P.U.M.A
A Project for Universal Management of Airways (P.U.M.A.) is underway. This is a multi-disciplinary, international effort with a goal to create an airway management guideline applicable to multiple groups with a common interest in management of the difficult airway. Individuals from Australia and New Zealand are represented on the working group and the advisory group.
Dr Paul Baker
