Final answer:
Nursing interventions for airway management include confirming airway status and equipment readiness, performing endotracheal intubation, monitoring anesthesia reversal and spontaneous breathing post-surgery, and in cases of RDS, providing intensive respiratory support methodologies such as CPAP, ventilators, and surfactant therapy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nursing interventions for airway management are critical procedures aimed at ensuring patients maintain a clear and secure respiratory passage. Before the induction of anesthesia, the nurse and an anesthesia professional confirm the patient's airway status and the availability of equipment to conduct intubation, if necessary, to maintain an open airway. Intubation permits artificial air supply via a squeezable bag connected to a tube that bypasses any obstructions to reach the lungs. Endotracheal intubation is the safest procedure to secure the airway during surgery or when muscle control is compromised due to anesthesia. Post-operative airway management may include the gradual reversal of anesthesia gases and removal of the endotracheal tube while monitoring the resumption of spontaneous respiration. In cases like Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in infants, interventions such as resuscitation, intubation, ventillation, and application of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are utilized, along with the administration of pulmonary surfactant and other supportive therapies like corticosteroids and supplemental oxygen.