Airway patency vs. protection – CapnoAcademy CapnoAcademy

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MCHD Paramedic Podcast

EMS1.com Columnists

“GCS

This episode of the MCHD Paramedic Podcast was inspired directly by a paramedic question: “In my prior service, we intubated much more often for airway protection, can you explain how you approach this in your practice?” 

Whoa buddy, is that a difficult question with numerous caveats or what?  Join the podcast crew as they attempt to better define airway patency versus airway protection.  We even wade into why “GCS

Listen to learn more about:

  • Checking for a gag reflex: all risk and minimal reward? 
  • Patency over protection when it comes to urgency 
  • The 6 S’s to identify patency 
  • Resuscitate before we intubate 
  • Trauma considerations
  • Watch the DELTA 
  • DSI is law of our land and intubation with paralysis is risky 

MCHD Paramedic Podcast · Episode 127 – Airway Patency Vs. Protection

Listen to next: Serial killers: Shortness of breath

REFERENCES 

  1. Duncan R et al. Decreased Glasgow Coma Scale score does not mandate endotracheal intubation in the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 2009. PMID: 19272743 
  2. Lapostolle F, Alhéritière A. To intubate or not intubate, that is still the question! Eur J Emerg Med. 2020 Oct;27(5):387-388.  
  3. Moulton C et al. Relation between Glasgow coma scale and the gag reflex. BMJ. 1991.  
  4. Rotheray KR et al. What is the relationship between the Glasgow coma scale and airway protective reflexes in the Chinese population? Resuscitation, 2012.  
  5. Spaite DW, Bobrow BJ, Keim SM, et al. Association of Statewide Implementation of the Prehospital Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Guidelines With Patient Survival Following Traumatic Brain Injury: The Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care (EPIC) Study. JAMA Surg. 2019;154(7). 
  6. Hedayati T, Aceves G. MGCS Less Than 8? Then Intubate! Emergency physicians monthly. https://epmonthly.com/article/gcs-less-than-8-then-intubate/ 
  7. Woods R. Basic Airway Assessment: It’s as easy as… 1-2-3? CanadiEM https://canadiem.org/basic-airway-assessment-easy-1-2-3/

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