NCCEd: Neurocritical Care Education for Residents

Objective: Indicate whether a patient’s airway protection capacities are impaired

Objective: List common signs suggestive of such impaired airway protection

Rationale: Acutely ill neurosurgical patients frequently lose their ability to protect their airway as a result of their underlying pathology. Recognition of this is crucial to ensure care is escalated appropriately early before complications develop or accrue.