• Jonathan Kei and Donald P Mebust.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California.
• J Emerg Med. 2017 Apr 1; 52 (4): 433-437.

BackgroundIt has been suggested that an adult 8.0 endotracheal tube (ETT) connected to a neonatal meconium aspirator would improve suctioning during emergent endotracheal intubation compared to the Yankauer suction instrument, the standard tool used by emergency physicians.ObjectivesThis study was designed to compare the effectiveness of a Yankauer vs. an ETT-meconium aspirator set-up in suctioning liquids of different viscosities.MethodsThe Yankauer and ETT-meconium aspirator device underwent a head-to-head timed comparison, suctioning 250 mL of three different fluids, varying in viscosity. The first comparison test used tap water to represent simple oral secretions. The second comparison test used porcine whole blood as a proxy for human blood. The third comparison test used a coarsely blended mixture of a hamburger, French fries, and a soda to simulate emesis from a recently ingested meal. Five separate time trials were conducted for each liquid and for each suction device.ResultsThe ETT-meconium aspirator device compared to the Yankauer suctioned faster in both the water comparison test (mean = 2.6 s vs. 3.4 s; p < 0.001) and the porcine whole blood comparison test (mean = 2.9 s vs. 4.3 s; p = 0.0015). In the emesis trial, the Yankauer immediately clogged, whereas the ETT-meconium aspirator apparatus managed to suction an average of 90 mL prior to clogging.ConclusionCompared to the Yankauer, an adult 8.0 ETT connected to a meconium aspirator was superior in suctioning liquids of varying viscosities and should be considered when encountering a difficult airway due to copious secretions, blood, or emesis.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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