C

Calling for help: making a time-critical request for advice or assistance. Seeking support in an emergency setting. Ideally mechanisms should be in place that enable an emergency call for help to be distinguished from other less urgent requests for support.

Composite failure: refers to the significantly elevated risk of alternative ventilation lifelines being challenging or failing once one ventilation lifeline has declared itself to be challenging or has failed. The term is derived from this article.

Collaborator: team member responsible for anticipating, prompting, implementing and even querying management decisions by the team coordinator or other members of the team. Collaborators may also self-initiate tasks to facilitate achievement of team management priorities and should communicate effectively in relation to all of the above activities. Synonymous with the term ‘follower’ but preferred as it emphasises that this role extends beyond simply passively obeying instructions.

Coordinator: team member responsible for managing the information, skills and knowledge available in a clinical situation. Synonymous with the term “leader” but preferred as it emphasises that the role is primarily concerned with having the skills to effectively coordinate the above elements rather than necessarily being the most senior or expert person present. This emphasis simultaneously broadens the scope of individuals who may be appropriate to take on this role and focuses the skill set required to perform it effectively. In addition the terminology ‘coordinator’ rather than ‘leader’ may help overcome some of the barriers to being willing to assume this role and declare it clearly to the team. The distinction between the individual most appropriate to take on the role of coordinator versus the most experienced or skilled individual is particularly important in an airway emergency where the most skilled team member will typically be required to perform airway interventions, preventing them from adopting the hands-off, global view of the situation desirable for a team coordinator. The allocated team coordinator may still request the expertise of more senior team members when making decisions.

Core procedural skills: airway procedural skills in which all independently practising airway practitioners should be competent.

Cricoid pressure: application of force to the cricoid cartilage during tracheal intubation in an attempt to help reduce regurgitation of gastric material and thereby the incidence of pulmonary aspiration of gastric content. While the synonymous term ‘cricoid force’ is technically more correct (force rather than pressure is applied to the cricoid cartilage), the term cricoid pressure is preferred by these guidelines as it already well established in clinical practice and the technical inaccuracy of the terminology does not compromise the clarity of communication or impact on the safety and efficacy of patient care.

Critical language: specifically selected, promoted and standardised key terms that are clearly defined, mutually understood and consistently used to promote concise, precise communication as well as promote team performance, flatten hierarchies and trigger cognitive associations to key management priorities.