[Difficult airway management: assessment of knowledge and experience in anaesthesiology residents].

OBJECTIVES: Assessment of knowledge and experience in anaesthesiology residents on alternative techniques for difficult airway management.

METHOD: Descriptive study using an anonymous electronic questionnaire, with 20 multiple-choice questions of 59 4th- and 5th-year residents in anaesthesiology of Amiens, Rouen and Caen University Hospitals (France).

RESULTS: Fourty-three (73%) answered to the questionnaire. Thirteen residents (30%) admitted to know last expert conference of the French Anaesthesiology Society partially, 19 (44%) didn't train on mannequin or simulator. Twelve residents (28%) admitted to be insufficient trained to set up a Fastrach in an emergency context, and 39 (91%) to set up a transtracheal oxygenation technique. The rates of residents reaching the educational objectives on patients were 4% for the Fastrach, 21% for fiberoptic intubation, 12% for cricothyroidotomy.

CONCLUSION: Four years after the expert conference of the French Anaesthesiology Society, the educational objectives are not achieved during the resident training, both on mannequins or patients.