What should you monitor after airway management to ensure continued airway patency?

• A. Blood pressure alone
• B. Oxygen saturation, respiratory rate/effort, breath sounds, and capnography
• C. Blood glucose
• D. Temperature

Answer: (B)

After airway management, the key is to verify the airway remains open and air can reach the lungs. This is best done by watching multiple indicators in real time: oxygen saturation shows how well oxygen is entering the blood, while respiratory rate and effort reveal how effectively the patient is ventilating. Listening to breath sounds helps identify obstructions, edema, or tube misplacement, and capnography provides continuous feedback on exhaled CO2, confirming ventilation and helping detect issues like tube dislodgement, obstruction, or apnea. Together, these measures give a clear picture of airway patency and ventilatory status.

Blood pressure alone doesn’t tell you about the airway’s openness. Blood glucose and temperature aren’t direct indicators of airway patency, either.