MNEMO> First 4 letters of ACHAsia.
A. Acute upper airway obstruction secondary to tracheal compression (by the dilated segment ) can be managed by Sublingual glyceryl nitrate,Passage of a naso-oesophageal tube,Transcutaneous needle puncture,Tracheal intubation etc
C Care against aspiration: The dilated oesophagus must be emptied and decompressed (needs a period of prolonged starvation) Rapid sequence induction ,Tracheal tube removal is performed in the awake patient, Patient should be nursed in the lateral position during recovery.
H History: Respiratory complications, which may be attributed to asthma or chronic bronchitis, are secondary to overspill of undigested material
A Acute problems that can be caused by the dilated segment : Acute thoracic inlet obstruction , difficulty in passing the tracheal tube past the dilated oesophagus, Upper airway obstruction , progressive dilatation of the upper oesophagus may occur in association with air swallowing or IPPV
The Lay Medical Man 