Shout out to Auckland HEMS for using this video on their site in a post about surgical airway skills training which is worth a read. Another real-life ESA (Emergency Surgical Airway) video. I think these videos are invaluable for us to be able to practice visualisation techniques for this procedure in trauma patients. As opposed to doing it on a nice clean, dry manikin, in real situations you may have to deal with:
- Blood, both from the patient’s injuries, and from the procedure. Blood is slippery, making landmarks and equipment difficult to palpate/handle, and slippery = easier to jab yourself with any of the sharps
- Swelling: from tissue injury, making access to deeper structures difficult
- Patient movement: too much sedation carries the risk of total airway loss, not enough and they may not lie still for the procedure (unless they’re already unconscious, in which case it’s a non-issue).
So here’s the video, leave a comment and let us know what you think. (And thanks again to Auckland HEMS)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfyQP4wNbcA