# The Difficult Airway App — Airway App

> Clinical tool for emergency airway management, drug dosing, and RSI guidance. (iPhone/iPad app by Airway Management Education Center.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-difficult-airway-app/id433176317 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Airway Management Education Center](https://appshunter.io/developer/433176320)
- Category: Medical, Education
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 22 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 62 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2011-06-07
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-difficult-airway-app/id433176317/reviews.md

## What is The Difficult Airway App?

The Difficult Airway App (v.3.3)

The Difficult Airway App™ is an essential tool for clinicians who manage emergency airways in any setting: the ED, ICU, in-patient unit or the many EMS practice environments.

THE RIGHT DRUGS, THE RIGHT DOSES, THE RIGHT WAY!

This app rapidly and easily selects the right drugs for RSI, automatically adjusting for obesity and hemodynamics. Pediatric dosing and equipment selection is a snap using the Broselow-Luten color system or the child's estimated weight.

Stay out of trouble! The Difficult Airway App™ guides the user quickly and easily through important  algorithms, predictors of the difficult airway, and the step-by-step approach to RSI taught in The Difficult Airway Course: Emergency™.

The Difficult Airway App™ features:

EASY, YET SOPHISTICATED ADULT AND PEDIATRIC DRUG DOSING
• For adult dosing, a few simple clicks bring you to recommended doses that incorporate patient weight, body habitus and hemodynamics.
• The pediatric drug dosing function incorporates the color-coded system created by James Broselow, MD and Robert C. Luten, MD for rapid, safe management of pediatric airway cases.
• The option to customize your formulary means that only the drugs you use will appear in the recommendations.

DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT 
• Straight-forward algorithms allow you to quickly determine the best approach to your patient’s airway.
• Easy mnemonics walk you through predictors of a difficult airway, including difficult laryngoscopy (LEMON), difficult BMV (ROMAN), difficult extraglottic device use (RODS) and difficult cricothyrotomy (SMART).
• Pearls of wisdom, based on evidence and expert opinion, are offered throughout.

RAPID SEQUENCE INTUBATION
• The 7 – Ps of RSI: a step-by-step guide for adult and pediatric patients.
• Adult and pediatric RSI drug dosing.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
• Richly detailed illustrations of the airway anatomy.
• Links to information about The Difficult Airway Courses™.

Created by Ron M. Walls, MD, Michael F. Murphy, MD and Robert C. Luten, MD.  With significant updates by Calvin A. Brown III, MD.

## Key features

- Adult and pediatric drug dosing for RSI
- Obesity and hemodynamic adjustments
- Broselow-Luten color system integration
- Difficult airway algorithms and predictors
- Step-by-step RSI guidance
- Customizable drug formulary
- Airway anatomy illustrations

## Chart rankings

- #46 in Top Paid · Medical (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 16)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-difficult-airway-app/id433176317/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Incorrect dosing

*2026-01-31*

I had high hopes for this app based on reviews, I like that you it allows you to access the algorithms and mnemonics easily. I was surprised at the choice of doses, especially for rocuronium, which should be dosed by ideal body weight, not total body weight. With that being said, you rarely need more than 100 mg of rocuronium in an rsi situation, and giving more than 100 puts you into a pickle if you have to rapidly reverse with sugammadex.

### 4/5 — Great App but…

*2025-04-09*

The app is great however it would be nice if I were able to change the dose in the app.

### 1/5 — Not up to date

*2023-05-17*

The course materials have been updated with new algorithms but as of the date of this review the last DAC app update is 9 months ago.  The app may have been abandoned by the authors in favor of the course books and physical cards.

### 3/5 — Needs a chart of medications

*2022-04-15*

Really needs to have an easy to access chart for every medication with mechanisms of action, recommended dose range per kg of weight, common side effects. Just a table which could be accessed for review without having a particular patient in mind. Would use the app much more often and recommend to other physicians/residents who would be more likely to download the app since it would be a single source for all there is to know on intubation. Will change the review if this changes.

### 1/5 — No dosing info on VECURONIUM!!!!!

*2019-11-06*

Had a difficult airway one night.   Couldn’t use succinylcholine choline.   Only alternative was vecuronium at my hospital institution.     App does NOT give dosing info on vecuronium in the algorithm, only gives info on rocuroium.  Pharmacy was not helpful on the dosing either.   This app failed to assist me in time of need!

### 2/5 — Very basic

*2017-08-18*

Very basic, not much information, probably  ok resource for medical student.

### 4/5 — I like it

*2014-05-10*

It works well. It's pretty quick on my iPhone. It says it changes the dose to factor in low bp ect but it would be nice if it told you how much per kg along with the total amount (which is what you get now).

### 3/5 — Good....

*2013-10-16*

But very short and to the point.  Not a whole lot to this app.  Just the facts.  I purchased two more app's as this was not enough for me to RSI as a newbie.

### 3/5 — Volume doesn't work

*2012-10-21, version 1.5*

Nice app.  It would be nice if we could set the dose as well as the drug.  IE; 1 mg/kg of succs as opposed to what this is set at to Taylor to our protocol.  And the volume doesn't work at all.  I cannot hear any of them talking.

### 5/5 — RN,CCRN

*2012-08-12*

Nice app, a little pricy though.

## Frequently asked questions about The Difficult Airway App

### What is The Difficult Airway App used for?

The Difficult Airway App is designed to assist clinicians in managing emergency airways. It provides rapid drug selection and dosing for Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI), along with decision-making support through algorithms and predictors of difficult airways.

### Does The Difficult Airway App support pediatric patients?

Yes, the app offers pediatric drug dosing and equipment selection. It utilizes the Broselow-Luten color system and can adjust for the child's estimated weight, ensuring safe management of pediatric airway cases.

### How does The Difficult Airway App help with difficult airways?

The app provides straightforward algorithms and easy-to-remember mnemonics to guide users through predictors of a difficult airway. These include mnemonics for difficult laryngoscopy (LEMON), difficult bag-mask ventilation (ROMAN), difficult extraglottic device use (RODS), and difficult cricothyrotomy (SMART).

### Can I customize the drug formulary in The Difficult Airway App?

Yes, the app allows you to customize your drug formulary. This ensures that only the medications you commonly use will appear in the recommendations, streamlining your workflow.

### What is the price of The Difficult Airway App?

The Difficult Airway App is a paid application, available for $4.99. This one-time purchase grants access to all its features for managing emergency airways.

### What devices is The Difficult Airway App compatible with?

The Difficult Airway App is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed for use on iOS platforms.

### How often is The Difficult Airway App updated?

The latest version of The Difficult Airway App is v.3.3, last updated on January 5, 2026. This indicates a commitment to maintaining and improving the app's functionality and content.

### Does The Difficult Airway App have ads?

No, The Difficult Airway App does not contain advertisements. As a paid application, it provides an uninterrupted user experience focused on clinical decision support.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.3 — 2026-01-05

Age Rating updates.

### 3.2 — 2024-05-23

Improved navigation for difficult airway prediction. Delivers 7Ps for Intubation checklist; enhanced adult and pediatric RSIs; improved dosage calculator to bring up to date with current recommendations; updated airway algorithms.

### 3.1 — 2022-08-05

Improved User Experience (UX) on the Welcome Screens and the App Registration Form (optional).

### 3.0 — 2022-06-29

The overall look of The Difficult Airway App has been refreshed with a new color scheme and updated navigation.  There are minor changes in the SCh Hyperkalemia, Tips & Pearls, Adult 7Ps, Pediatric 7Ps, and Additional Resources sections.  A new Acronym Section has been added to define the acronyms used in the app.

On the Adult Patient RSI Calculator, the following adjustments have been made:

- Midazolam will no longer be recommended as an Induction Agent.

- All induction agents are now tagged as “Total Body Weight” drugs unless the patient is obese or morbidly obese, then the induction agents are tagged as “Lean Body Weight” drugs.

- Refined dosing for Propofol based on body habitus.

- Ketamine dosing has been decreased for hypotension.

- The base dose for Rocuronium has been changed from 1 mg/kg to 1.5 mg/kg for NMBA dosing recommendations.

### 2.3 — 2018-08-08

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

On the adult RSI drug dosing calculator, the highest weight class is now 150 kg (instead of 150+ kg).  The doses provided when this option is chosen are most appropriate for patients who weigh 150 kg.  For weights greater than 150 kg, please refer to the base dosing schedule found in the “About Calculator” section of the Adult RSI Calculator.  Lean body weight should be used for induction agent dosing.  See also The Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management, 5e (Chapter 20).
On the Pediatric Patient RSI Chart, the size of the ET Tube in the Orange Zone has changed from 6.0 cuff to 5.5 cuff.
On the Pediatric Patient RSI Chart, the size of the ET Tube in the Green Zone has changed from 6.5 cuff to 6.0 cuff.
Links in the Additional Resources section were updated to point to our newly redesigned website (www.theairwaysite.com).

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## Related topics

[the difficult airway app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-difficult-airway-app) · [airway management education center](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/airway-management-education-center) · [airway triage](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/airway-triage)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*
