Air medical journal
-
Air medical journal · Nov 2021
Feasibility of Prehospital Emergency Anesthesia in the Cabin of an AW169 Helicopter Wearing Personal Protective Equipment During Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Prehospital emergency anesthesia in the form of rapid sequence intubation (RSI) is a critical intervention delivered by advanced prehospital critical care teams. Our previous simulation study determined the feasibility of in-aircraft RSI. We now examine whether this feasibility is preserved in a simulated setting when clinicians wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) for in-aircraft, on-the-ground RSI. ⋯ In-aircraft RSI (aircraft on the ground) while wearing PPE for AGPs had no significant impact on the time to successful completion of ETI in a simulated setting. Patient safety is paramount in civilian helicopter emergency medical services, but the adoption of in-aircraft RSI could confer significant patient benefit in terms of prehospital time savings, and further research is warranted.
-
Air medical journal · Nov 2021
Direct Versus Video Laryngoscopy in a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Setting: A Retrospective Comparison.
Since the introduction of video laryngoscopy (VL) as a technique for orotracheal intubation, its use has become widespread among prehospital providers. However, little information is available about the efficacy and success of VL compared with direct laryngoscopy (DL) in the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) setting. The objective of this study was to investigate whether VL or DL increased successful first-pass orotracheal intubations and overall intubation success by HEMS providers. ⋯ No statistically significant difference was found in the first-pass rate, the overall success rate, or complications between DL and VL.