The ABCs of patient care begin with the airway. Does your patient have airway patency? Can your patient maintain his or her own airway? Are there any obstructions or contaminants obstructing the airway? Questions like these are likely second nature to you, and you probably don’t even realize you are asking them when caring for your patients.

While tachycardia can be a sign of respiratory distress, it also can be a complication of interventions to treat respiratory distress, including suctioning. First responders and medical providers must have a clear understanding of the link between tachycardia and suctioning so that they can reduce the risk of patient injuries and improve both long- and short-term outcomes. 

Seizures are a common emergency. First responders frequently encounter febrile seizures in children, epileptic seizures, and seizures due to brain anomalies such as dementia or brain lesions. In most cases, the seizure itself is not dangerous, but the medical condition that caused it may be.

Advanced airway management goes beyond simple airway management techniques you might learn in a single class. Advanced airway techniques fall into three broad categories, each with a wide variety of techniques and skills a practitioner must master. 

Precision and skill is required for Advanced airway management, especially in vulnerable patients. When performed correctly, initiating nasopharyngeal airways is very safe—and much safer than the alternative of doing nothing. Many first responders are reluctant to initiate a nasopharyngeal airway, citing fears of complications. But this route can enable intubation in patients with an intact gag reflex. Proper training can promote greater confidence, so don’t let fear deter you from practicing this life-saving technique. Forewarned is forearmed, so let’s look at some potential complications. 

Users of battery powered portable suction devices often comment that it “sucks”. This can be interpreted two ways–either negatively or positively. When the negative sentiment applies, there’s no need to despair or throw the unit across the room

Just weeks ago, it appeared that the COVID-19 in the U.S. may have been on the ropes. But the rise of the Delta variant and the potential for more variants to come reminded us that this dangerous virus will remain for the foreseeable future.

Have you ever been in a code situation where there were multiple failed intubation attempts on a patient? If so, you aren’t likely to forget it. Managing a difficult airway is one of the most challenging circumstances for even the most seasoned medical professional. 

In a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed from a hypothetical concern to something that upended lives across the globe. First responders were suddenly risking their lives to tend to patients. Families across the nation holed up in their houses, hoping to save lives. The world may never be the same. Unsurprisingly, airway management has shifted quite a bit in the intervening months, too. Here are some of the changes we’re seeing.