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Telemedicine has experienced a tremendous amount of development in the past decade. Applications for providing remote care have been seen in many disciplines including maritime, combat, and concierge medicine. Telemedicine may potentially play a role in prehospital airway management.

Sakles et al. described tele‐intubation assistance for remote hospital and prehospital intubations [12]. In their tele‐intubation set up, ambulances were fitted with wireless modules to enable monitoring of intubations at a distance of 500 feet from the ambulance. Rescuers used a modified video laryngoscope capable of transmitting images back to the telemedicine center. Sibert et al. conducted a feasibility study demonstrating remote assistance of intubation [13]. In this project, mannequin intubation footage was transmitted from the back of an ambulance to a physician in a remote monitoring station. A third study by Mosier et al. used readily available smartphone technology to facilitate tele‐intubation [14].

It is important to recognize that while telemedicine may potentially aid airway management decision making, it cannot (yet) replace the actual motor or dexterous actions for airway procedures. The primary benefit of tele‐intubation is to facilitate the airway decision‐making process. For example, a remote advisor may guide the decision to intubate (or not intubate) an apneic victim of a drug overdose. This same remote observer may also coach the rescuer through performance of airway procedures. The development of new and inexpensive transmission devices such as smartphones makes these applications potential realities.