JEMS : a journal of emergency medical services
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Encountering a situation that necessitates the assessment and management of patients requiring airway management can present a significant challenge. It will require a different thought process and set of decision-making skills that vary from the routine practice of airway management during a single patient encounter. Rapid triaging of the need for airway management is important. ⋯ Non-traditional decision procedures and positioning may need to be implemented, such as placing patients in a lateral recumbent position to use gravity to assist in keeping the airway patent. In the setting of multiple patient encounters requiring airway management, it's important to consider the length of time each procedure will take and the amount of equipment that will be required. A rapid securing of the airway by a supraglottic device in suitable patients may be favored over traditional approaches of ETI secondary to the relative complexity of the procedure.
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Although most blunt aortic transection cases that present to the trauma bay have contained hematomas, this isn't always the case. This case illustrates the advancement of trauma care in the 21st century. Cases of free aortic rupture rarely end with such positive results. Providers can take home a few key points: accurate field triage linked with a multi-disciplinary approach to such a complex injury is vital to patient survival, and the use of new technology can allow for prompt diagnosis and management.