Finishing Up the ENT Rotation

As I finish up my ENT anesthesia rotation, I reflect a little on the airway devices I got to learn. The key is to use the advanced techniques over and over so that muscle memory settles in, the steps become intuitive, and troubleshooting becomes natural. I welcomed the days when I would focus on one technique, try it on several patients, read and think about it. This is much more satisfying than the sporadic use of tricky devices on a general rotation. So over the last month, I've become much more proficient at using nontraditional blades like the McCoy blade, introducers like the bougie, the flexible LMA, the intubating LMA, different video laryngoscopes, and the fiberoptic bronchoscope. Although I was learning these techniques, the attendings were careful to ensure patients were not at any risk or danger. Indeed, I feel that patients fared even better than usual with the intense focus we had on perfecting the anesthetic. At the end of the rotation, I feel a lot more comfortable with situations that may involve difficult airways and intubation.