Airway management strategies under the situation of prevention and control of nosocomial infections for coronavirus disease 2019

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the prevention and control of nosocomial infections has been highly valued. Airway management, including endotracheal intubation, extubation, and suction, has been considered as the high-risk virus-spreading procedures, which can put the health providers at a high risk of nosocomial infections. As hospitals at all levels will gradually resume their routine medical work, effective managements for the airway of the silent asymptomatic carriers and patients with delayed symptoms, treatment for severe patients, and prevention of cross infection in hospital have become the focus for the current prevention and control of nosocomial infections. Under the guidance of partitioned and graded prevention and differential control strategies at this stage, we comprehensively analyzed four main intubation methods used in the current clinical work including rapid sequence intubation, laryngeal mask insertion, intubation guided by video flexible intubating scope and awake tracheal intubation. Furthermore, we discussed and summarized intubation and protection strategies for 3 categories of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing evidence for protecting medical stuff in operating room and ICU against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.