When you think about the components of a well-equipped tactical medical kit, what naturally come to mind are the tools needed to deal with trauma-related injuries: hemostatic agents, dressings and bandages, and tourniquets and chest seals. What may not spring to mind is your portable suction unit. But it should. If you’re trying to control oral exsanguination or attempting to visualize the cords during intubation, nothing can take the place of an effective portable suction unit.

Ask any paramedic and they’ll tell you one of the most critical pieces of equipment in their EMS arsenal is their portable suction unit. Nothing takes the place of a suction unit. There is no other means of removing blood, vomit, or secretions from an airway, except through immediate, aggressive suction. This is why the maintenance of your unit is vital to airway management.

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.

Your portable suction device is a vital piece of equipment, yet you may give it little thought on a shift-by-shift basis. We take for granted the critical role it plays in airway patency, assuming there is no need for preplanning or strategizing. But there are some simple steps you can take to ensure your suction unit remains operational, and part of the life-saving lineup you rely on each shift. Let’s discuss some of the strategies employed when deciding what to include with your portable suction device.

When was the last time you worked a code? If you serve a busy, urban area, or a population heavy on retirees, you probably remain proficient in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Drug therapies and dosages, intubation procedures, and post-resuscitation care are part and parcel to busy EMS systems. But what if you work in a slow-paced, rural setting, where the calls are few and far between? What happens to your ACLS skills if you rarely use them? Most likely, you lose them.

Anyone in the medical field can attest to the importance of suction. How else could we clear a patient’s airway were it not for the use of suction? When you think of all the arenas in which suction is used—throughout hospitals, in the prehospital setting, and just about any place treatment is provided—it’s impossible to imagine patient care without it.

As good stewards of our EMS equipment, we should all be concerned with the life of our gear. Limited budgets mean we must make our equipment last, and when it comes to your portable suction unit, you can take a few simple steps to extend the aspirator's life. We break down these measures into three phases: before, during, and after the call.