Evaluation of new methods for airway secure during long-term space missions

Long-term missions with the construction of Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway and manned Mars missions will be within reach in the upcoming years. An emergency evacuation will not be feasible, thus the crew must handle a lot of possible medical events, presumably without a physician onboard. Including emergencies with a need for airway secure and general anesthesia, recent data shows, that using supraglottic airway is the method of choice in microgravity. If endotracheal intubation is necessary, the usage of videolaryngoscopy is recommended, due to the swelling caused by cardiovascular changes under influence of microgravity. Whenever possible, the patient should be restrained on a stretcher, while securing the airway.