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From the first days of our residency training as oral and maxillofacial surgeons, we are taught the paramount importance of maintaining the airway, whether we are doing office sedation, trauma surgery, oncological surgery, or major reconstruction. Failure to obtain and maintain a patent and secure airway for adequate oxygenation and ventilation can quickly lead to the patient's untimely demise. The objectives of this Atlas of the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinics of North America are to discuss the challenges we face in managing the airway and to review common solutions. In this Atlas, various techniques of airway management are discussed by distinguished clinicians in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery. It is our hope that clinicians will find this Atlas a useful tool in airway management both for learning about unfamiliar techniques and for refreshing knowledge about well-practiced techniques. There are many alternatives to managing the difficult airway. Even with the common use of the glidescope and fiber-optic intubation techniques, there remain many reliable alternatives to obtaining a secure airway. It is our hope that oral and maxillofacial surgery practitioners and residents alike will find this Atlas informative, clinically relevant, and a substantive guide for airway management.
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