Airway

Inhalation injury and stridor

Thermal or chemical injury to the upper airway can swell quickly. Facial burns, soot, and audible stridor warn that obstruction may be minutes away even when the patient is still talking.

Administer high-flow oxygen first—burn sheets and airway adjuncts follow once immediate oxygenation is underway. Stridor is a sign, not a procedure; do not delay oxygen to dress burns or insert an NPA when stridor is present without protocol-specific indication.