Abstract
The DAS 2025 tracheal intubation guidelines represent a shift from rescue-based airway strategies to a focus on first-attempt success and proactive prevention of failure. Key updates include first-line videolaryngoscopy, earlier neuromuscular block, a revised ABCD approach to airway rescue, and standardised vertical-incision emergency front-of-neck access. This editorial highlights the key paradigm shifts in the 2025 update, exploring both their rationale and the practical challenges to implementation.