The COVID-19 pandemic has made acute respiratory distress one of the most common emergencies first responders face. Without prompt intervention, it can lead to respiratory failure and life-threatening complications. One 2016 study found that 34 percent of respiratory failure sufferers had died within a year of their diagnosis. As the pandemic rips through communities, you must do everything you can to mitigate its effects. These guidelines can help you offer appropriate airway protection to treat and ideally prevent acute respiratory failure. 

Emerging evidence suggests that bariatric patients are at a higher risk of developing severe COVID illness. This means they may represent a disproportionate share of your patients during the pandemic. If you’re suctioning a bariatric patient, here are six complexities to consider. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of being able to treat patients quickly and competently wherever you find them. With makeshift intensive care units and emergency departments erected in tents across the country, medical providers have had to make do with limited resources and treat patients as efficiently as possible without accelerating the spread of a deadly pandemic. 

You understand how important it is to have a well-organized and fully stocked crash cart when a patient codes. Following Advanced Cardiac Life Support Guidelines (ACLS), most hospitals will have similar supplies on their carts. These include:

Every nurse knows durable medical equipment doesn’t last forever.

When was the last time you kicked a hospital bed in frustration because the motor ground to a halt as you were elevating a patient’s head? Or you discovered an IV pump apparently quit working in the middle of the night, depriving your patient of vital hydration?

When equipment like a portable medical suction machine unexpectedly stops working, it can be more than a nuisance. It can endanger patient safety. If you reach for a suction wand because your patient aspirated, and you discover there’s no suction...there may be a bad outcome in the wings.

Public health experts have been warning about a worldwide pandemic for decades. Unwilling or unable to believe what could happen, most people put their heads in the sand. We’ve now seen that a local virus can tear through lives across the globe, upending everything we do. The next pandemic is inevitable. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as COVID, and we will be better prepared. There’s a distinct possibility, however, that it will be worse. Here’s what your agency can do now to get ready for whatever lies ahead. 

Portable suction can be a quick emergency intervention, a long-term treatment for patients under anesthesia, or a way to maintain safety and hygiene for people on ventilators. No matter how and when you use suction, no matter how routine it seems, it’s important to remember that no patient is routine. Each has their own story and own unique needs. Equally important, each presents a risk of infection and contagion if you do not correctly manage waste and clean up after suctioning. Here are the things you must check every time you use a portable suction machine. 

In 2014, Health Facilities Management magazine featured an article discussing the results of their Emergency Management Survey. A random sample of 911 hospital and health system executives were polled to learn about challenges faced during emergency situations such as natural disasters.