Table 3.

Incidence of difficult and failed airway management by practice location. Note that some definitions of “difficult” and “failed” may differ between the referenced studies and those used in this article

	Operating room	Obstetric anesthesia	Pediatric anesthesia	Emergency department or pre-hospital, MD-performed	Critical care
Difficult FMV	0.7–3%19–22	7.1%23 30%24	6.6%–9.5%25,26	Approx. 15%27	17%28
Failed or impossible FMV	0.03–0.2%19,21,29	14%23 9%24	No data	7–18%30,31	No data
Difficult FMV combined with difficult laryngoscopy/intubation	0.3–0.4%19,22	No data	12.5%26	No data	27%28
Difficult tracheal intubation	3–8%19,22,32,33	1.6–5.7%23,34–37	0.2–5.5%25,26,38,39	1–11%27,40–44	5–23%28,33,45–47
Failed tracheal intubation	0.006–0.419,48,49	0–0.7%23,34–37,50,51	0.08%38	0–6%44,52–56	7%45
Difficult SGA use	0.5%57	0–1.7%37,58–60	0.4–7.1%38,61	7%62	No data
Failed SGA use	0.2–1%57,63	0–25%24,35,37,58–60	0.08–2%38,61,64	2–34%30,65–67	No data
CVCO or eFONA	0.006% (ENT patients 0.2%)68	0–0.2%23,24,34,35,37,50	No data	0.1–0.9%27,44,53,54,69,70	No data

CVCO = cannot ventilate, cannot oxygenate; eFONA = emergency front of neck airway access; ENT = ear, nose, and throat; FMV = face-mask ventilation; SGA = supraglottic airway