With the onslaught of winter and frigid temperatures spreading across the country, now is a good time to think about one of our most vulnerable populations: the elderly. Although geriatrics make up a clear majority of our patients, winter weather can pose additional challenges for these high-risk individuals.

As winter approaches, so too does cold and flu season. This time of year usually marks an uptick in emergency room visits and EMS responses, many of which involve a respiratory disorder. And any respiratory emergency can lead to a critical suction scenario. So, to prepare for the long winter ahead, let’s examine some potential winter suction scenarios you may encounter as we await the coming of Spring.

Oropharyngeal suctioning is a critical step in maintaining airway patency. This simple treatment can mean the difference between life and death for your patient, so proficiency is key. Identifying a tenuous airway, correcting the problem, and maintaining patency will improve patient outcomes and reduce length of hospital stays by preventing complications from aspiration and hypoxia.

One of the scariest calls you will run into is a child in respiratory distress. Children are challenging, with their inability to articulate symptoms; their small veins and airways; and the fact that when they crash, they crash with a vengeance.

Anyone who works in EMS knows how important it is to maintain their equipment. Daily truck checkouts, weekly inventories, and monthly drug checks ensure your equipment is clean, is ready for service, and that drugs are up to date.

Watching television commercials, and the apparent growing obsession with white teeth in the United States, you would think that dental health is of primary importance to most Americans. And yet millions fail to follow basic guidelines on oral health, such as regular cleanings. There are many reasons for this, the most obvious being the high cost of dental care. Another is lack of insurance, which again places patients in the difficult position of caring for their teeth versus more immediate expenses.

When you think back to what EMS equipment used to be like, you can appreciate the vast changes that have taken place. Oxygen bottles were larger, heavier, and a burden to drag on scene. Monitors were clunky and not nearly as sophisticated. And stretchers required back-breaking labor to lift and haul.

One of the most critical scenarios you will encounter as a paramedic is a patient in respiratory arrest. Whether the arrest is due to a drug overdose, an obstruction preventing a child from moving air, or a gunshot wound to the base of the skull that has knocked out the respiratory centers of the brain, treating respiratory arrest requires preparation, quick action, and the proper equipment. It requires a plan.

The question of whether or not your emergency unit is ready for respiratory emergencies may seem redundant. Of course you are, right? You have the proper certifications and training, a truck laden with fancy equipment, and a brain bursting with knowledge and experience. What else is there, you ask?