Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway assessment, airway management.
Most EMS patients are conscious and speaking with EMS. Sometimes, the patient will not be alert or even unconscious, necessitating the ambulance crew to open the airway and determine if the airway is clear. In either case the airway is clear, but does that mean that the airway will remain clear during transport? Unconscious patients […]
Published in EMR. Tags: airway, pathophysiology, physiology, respiratory.
The most common reason people call 911 is for respiratory distress. In most jurisdictions, 40% of all calls are because the patient is experiencing shortness of breath. Shortness of breath can be caused by many conditions, however varied, the conditions always come down to three root causes: Problems with pulmonary ventilation Problems with oxygenation Problems […]
Published in AEMT, EMR, EMT. Tags: airway, anatomy, cardiology, physiology, respiratory.
Pulmonary ventilation refers to the movement of air in and out of the lungs Ventilation is defined as the movement of air in and out of the lungs. Patient with adequate ventilation are moving normal or near normal volumes of air into and out of the lungs. The pulmonary capillary beds are where oxygen is […]
Published in EMR. Tags: airway, anatomy, physiology.
When the intercostal muscles contract, the ribs are displaced outwardly (inhalation). The lungs are attached to the ribs and are stretched in all directions. The stretching of the lungs creates a vacuum (the air pressure inside the lungs becomes less than atmospheric air) and the air from outside the body is drawn into the lungs. […]
Published in EMT. Tags: airway assessment, airway management.
Airway suctioning refers to the collective measures that are used for clearing the airway of a patient. It involves suctioning, clearing secretions, and maintaining the patency of the airway. It is of particular importance for patients with mechanical ventilators, endotracheal tube (ET) intubations, tracheostomies, or other airway adjuncts. Clearance of airway secretions is a normal […]
Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway management, CPR, shock and resuscitation.
Conscious FBAO aka ‘Choking’ When a person is choking, every muscle in their body is working to remove the obstruction. More times than not, the person will be successful and EMS is not needed. If EMS arrives to the patient while choking is still a problem, EMS can help the patient remove the obstruction. Assisting […]
Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway management.
Nasopharyngeal Airway Indications These devices are used by emergency care professionals in situations where an artificial form of airway maintenance is necessary, but tracheal intubation is impossible, inadvisable, or outside the practitioner’s scope of practice. An NPA is often used in conscious patients where an oropharyngeal airway would trigger the gag reflex. Contraindications They are […]
Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway management.
Oropharyngeal Airway Indications An oropharyngeal airway (oral airway, OPA) is an airway adjunct used to maintain or open the airway by stopping the tongue from covering the epiglottis. In this position, the tongue may prevent an individual from breathing. This sometimes happens when a person becomes unconscious because the muscles in the jaw relax causing […]
Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway management, head facial neck and spine trauma, patient assessment.
Patients who are not alert and not talking to you may have an obstructed airway. When your patient is alert and speaking to you, checking the airway is unnecessary (it is impossible to speak through an obstructed airway). When the patient is not alert (and definitely not speaking), you have to assess the airway to […]
Published in EMR, EMT. Tags: airway assessment, airway management, shock and resuscitation.
When the patient is alert and talking to you, the airway is clear. When the patient is not alert and is not speaking to you, the airway must be assessed In a patient who is unresponsive or not alert, the cause of the altered mental status could be an airway obstruction of some sort, so […]