If you could design your own airway bag, what would you put in it?

The longer we work in the field, the more we develop habits and preferences that find their way into our daily routines. You carry certain tools on your belt or in your pouch; you set up for an IV or an intubation using a set pattern; and you place everything in a specific spot so that you can grab it in a rush. 

Among the many emergencies that can occur while treating patients, bleeding in the airway — which can be caused by various disorders, injuries and even accidents during treatment — presents significant and unique challenges for providers navigating airway management.

Every shift can present a range of medical emergencies. Myocardial infarctions (MI), strokes, traumatic injuries—you must be ready for anything. And any one of these patients can devolve into a critical suction scenario. The MI may lapse into cardiac arrest; the stroke may render swallowing ineffective; and the trauma patient may have facial injuries producing copious blood in the mouth. You must have suction at the ready for every patient. Your priority is always a patent airway.

The critical aspect of suction readiness is having procedures in place that ensure you are prepared. So let's discuss some of the aspects of emergency suction procedures for paramedics.

Head and neck injuries are very common during emergency calls, particularly following a vehicle crash, fall or another trauma that affects the upper portion of a patient’s body. Those who suffer such injuries, beyond the potential for long-term skeletal, muscular or neurological issues, also carry a high risk for a range of airway issues or crises. If a responder is not able to resolve these issues promptly, the consequences can be fatal.

For every 1,000 Americans, about 404 made an emergency room visit to a community hospital in 2018. That’s more than 40% of the total population. And this number doesn’t even include millions of hospital inpatient stays or outpatient procedures, further emphasizing the importance—and challenges—of providing quality care every time someone walks in or is wheeled in the door. 

We all know what an important role suctioning plays in airway management. Imagine treating a respiratory, trauma, or cardiac arrest patient without the aid of suction. Impossible, right? Effective nasotracheal suctioning can mean the difference between a patent and a non-patent airway. It can also mean the difference between life and death for your patient. 

Hurricane Ian brought widespread damage to the southeast U.S. and was the deadliest storm to strike Florida since 1935, causing at least 137 fatalities in its path across the Caribbean and the East Coast.