Every year, more than 60,000 Americans die from complications of dysphagia and other swallowing disorders–the most common of these is aspiration pneumonia. Traumatic injuries that cause continuous bleeding into the airway can also lead to aspiration. Even with treatment, aspiration has a high mortality rate because it introduces contaminants into the airway. Mortality estimates vary depending on the population studied, but are much higher in older, sicker patients.

Medicine is an ever-changing ecosystem. As technology improves, new equipment is created that performs better, is safer, and easier to use. However, some devices withstand the test of time and have been with us for decades and its design will be with us into the future, albeit with some modern touches.

You arrive at the scene of the accident, where it was reported a young man was struck by a pickup truck while crossing a busy road. Approaching the scene, it’s clear he has likely suffered significant injuries. The truck’s windshield is cracked, and the patient has facial trauma and splayed limbs. You immediately begin to inventory the situation and start assessing whether the patient needs to receive a spinal immobilization. 

You are sitting at the nurse’s station catching up on some charting at the end of your shift. It has been a smooth 12-hours; all of your patients have been cooperative and everything has gone as planned. Suddenly, the daughter of one of your patients comes running out of the room, yelling that her mother just lost consciousness and doesn’t appear to be breathing. You grab the crash cart and call a Code Blue.

We’re heading into winter soon, with temperatures dropping, snow falling to the ground and people planning warm weather getaways. Regardless of the climate, however, emergency medical personnel must navigate a host of patient emergencies, while also protecting themselves and their equipment from adverse weather conditions. 

Maintenance, Practice and Preparing for Different Patient Scenarios

There are many unpredictable outcomes that can occur during airway suctioning, so it’s important to practice with a range of different products, techniques and practice codes when conducting trainings with your team. Using training equipment that allows for realistic simulations of emergency suctioning scenarios will arm your team with the strategy necessary to perform treatment steps effectively and accurately in various high-stress situations.