Airway Management & Intubation Injuries Expert Witness

Basis of Dr. Urits's opinions on this topic. Dr. Urits is board certified in Anesthesiology and in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology. His opinions about anesthesia care rest on his anesthesia residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School, his board certification in Anesthesiology, and his published research. Retaining counsel should confirm expert qualifications under the rules of their jurisdiction.

Airway events are among the most serious complications of anesthesia, and airway trauma is a common anesthesia claim. Dr. Urits has published on the patterns of injury caused by endotracheal intubation, on rapid sequence intubation, on intubating through supraglottic airway devices, and on complications such as laryngospasm and negative pressure pulmonary edema. During his anesthesia residency he supervised and taught medical students and junior residents in induction, intubation, and airway management.

Common issues

• Airway assessment and planning, including anticipated difficult airways

• Choice and technique of intubation (including rapid sequence intubation) and use of supraglottic airways

• Failed, delayed, or esophageal intubation and resulting hypoxic events

• Laryngospasm, bronchospasm, aspiration, and negative pressure pulmonary edema

• Dental, lip, vocal cord, and other airway trauma

• Extubation decisions and airway monitoring during transport and recovery

Relevant publications by Dr. Urits

• Herman JA, Urits I, Kaye AD, Urman RD, Viswanath O. Understanding the patterns of injuries related to endotracheal intubation. J Clin Anesth. 2020.

• Schrader M, Urits I. Tracheal Rapid Sequence Intubation. StatPearls. 2022 (book chapter).

• Ong SY, …, Urits I, Viswanath O. Intubating through supraglottic airway devices: a narrative review. Anesth Pain Med. 2021.

• Hasoon J, Orhurhu V, Urits I. Negative pressure pulmonary edema following laryngospasm. Saudi J Anaesth. 2020.

• Urits I, Orhurhu V, Chesteen G, Yazdi C, Viswanath O. Acute Sialadenitis After Intubation. Turk J Anaesthesiol Reanim. 2020.

• Shehata IM, …, Urits I, et al. Airway management considerations in patients with vocal fold implants. Front Anesthesiol. 2023.

• Urits I, Owais K, Jennings M. Root Cause Analysis: Hypoxic Respiratory Arrest During Transport. Grand Rounds, BIDMC / Harvard Medical School, 2017 (oral presentation).