COVID-19 fundamentally changed everything about how many people live. Choices that once seemed innocuous, such as going to the dentist or the grocery store, can now expose people to a lethal virus.

Respiratory muscle weakness is a common disorder often associated with weakened coughing, breathing and other airway functions, and it’s critical that providers and patients know how to identify symptoms of this condition to ensure the healthiest breathing and respiratory functions possible for all individuals.

Sooner or later, every nursing home will face a major emergency. Nursing home emergencies exist along a continuum. Issues such as choking may affect only a single patient, whereas outbreaks of the flu and other infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, can endanger the lives of every resident. In 2017, natural disasters affected more than three million people, and nursing home residents are not exempt from these statistics. Any of these incidents can lead to additional health issues, such as infectious outbreaks and chronic respiratory issues, so it is important to implement a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. 

Your team’s airway management is only as good as its medical suction units. Diligent practice, exceptional technique, and skillful assessments cannot compensate for a medical suction unit that does not work well. Sometimes, fixing suction issues is a simple matter of better storage or keeping an extra battery on hand. In other cases, such as those detailed below, it may be time to replace your suction device.

There are many unexpected symptoms that can stem from common traumas and accidents, and individuals often suffer significant airway damage from traumatic events. Around the world, injuries such as car accidents, gunshot wounds and concussions account for over 3 million non-fatal injuries per year. These common trauma scenarios can happen to anyone, and it’s critical that providers and patients understand the airway damage that results from physical trauma.

Whether you are an EMS administrator or you work within a hospital setting, there comes a time when old equipment must be replaced. Different agencies will have different bureaucratic processes, but it usually comes down to cost. What do we need, and how much can we spend?

If you are in the market for a portable suction device, you’ll notice that there is a large variety of different products available. Depending upon your intended use, you will need to evaluate several things. Consider, for example:

Swimming is a great form of exercise that can be very beneficial to a person’s overall health. Who doesn’t love a good dip in the pool, right? On the flip side, swimming can also present a number of respiratory issues and cause breathing dysfunction. It’s important to know the respiratory risks of swimming before hopping in the pool.

Seeking care for airway concerns and conditions can be overwhelming for many patients, especially if they’re experiencing certain symptoms for the first time, or they’re not as knowledgeable about their airway health.