Can EMS Providers Provide Appropriate Tidal Volumes in a Simulated Adult-sized Patient with a Pediatric-sized Bag-Valve-Mask?

INTRODUCTION: In the prehospital setting, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals rely on providing positive pressure ventilation with a bag-valve-mask (BVM). Multiple emergency medicine and critical care studies have shown that lung-protective ventilation protocols reduce morbidity and mortality. Our primary objective was to determine if a group of EMS professionals could provide ventilations with a smaller BVM that would be sufficient to ventilate patients. Secondary objectives included 1) if the pediatric bag provided volumes similar to lung-protective ventilation in the hospital setting and 2) compare volumes provided to the patient depending on the type of airway (mask, King tube, and intubation). METHODS: Using a patient simulator of a head and thorax that was able to record respiratory rate, tidal volume, peak pressure, and minute volume via a laptop computer, participants were asked to ventilate the simulator during six 1-minute ventilation tests. The first scenario was BVM ventilation with an oropharyngeal airway in place ventilating with both an adult- and pediatric-sized BVM, the second scenario had a supraglottic airway and both bags, and the third scenario had an endotracheal tube and both bags. Participants were enrolled in convenience manner while they were on-duty and the research staff was able to travel to their stations. Prior to enrolling, participants were not given any additional training on ventilation skills. RESULTS: We enrolled 50 providers from a large, busy, urban fire-based EMS agency with 14.96 (SD = 9.92) mean years of experience. Only 1.5% of all breaths delivered with the pediatric BVM during the ventilation scenarios were below the recommended tidal volume. A greater percentage of breaths delivered in the recommended range occurred when the pediatric BVM was used (17.5% vs 5.1%, p < 0.001). Median volumes for each scenario were 570.5mL, 664.0mL, 663.0mL for the pediatric BMV and 796.0mL, 994.5mL, 981.5mL for the adult BVM. In all three categories of airway devices, the pediatric BVM provided lower median tidal volumes (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that ventilating an adult patient is possible with a smaller, pediatric-sized BVM. The tidal volumes recorded with the pediatric BVM were more consistent with lung-protective ventilation volumes.

Double Sequential Defibrillation for Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation: A Case Report.

A 40-year-old male struck his chest against a pole during a basketball game and had sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. After bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fire and emergency medical services personnel provided six defibrillation attempts prior to emergency department arrival. A 7th attempt in the emergency department using a different vector was unsuccessful. On the 8th attempt, using a second defibrillator with defibrillator pads placed adjacent to the primary set of defibrillator pads, two shocks were administered in near simultaneous fashion. The double sequential defibrillation was successful and the patient had return of spontaneous circulation at the next pulse check. He recovered in the intensive care unit, was discharged home 1 month later, and continues to follow up in clinic over 1 year later with a Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 (short-term memory deficits).

Accuracy of emergency medical services-reported last known normal times in patients suspected with acute stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The last known normal (LKN) time is a critical determinant of IV tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV tPA) eligibility; however, the accuracy of emergency medical services (EMS)-reported LKN times is unknown. We determined the congruence between neurologist-determined and EMS-reported LKN times and identified predictors of incongruent LKN times. METHODS: We prospectively collected EMS-reported LKN times for patients brought into the emergency department with suspected acute stroke and calculated the absolute difference between the neurologist-determined and EMS-reported LKN times (|ΔLKN|). We determined the rate of inappropriate IV tPA use if EMS-reported times had been used in place of neurologist-determined times. Univariate and multivariable linear regression assessed for any predictors of prolonged |ΔLKN|. RESULTS: Of 251 patients, mean and median |ΔLKN| were 28 and 0 minutes, respectively. |ΔLKN| was <15 minutes in 91% of the entire cohort and <15 minutes in 80% of patients with a diagnosis of stroke (n=86). Of patients who received IV tPA, none would have been incorrectly excluded from IV tPA if the EMS LKN time had been used. Conversely, of patients who did not receive IV tPA, 6% would have been incorrectly included for IV tPA consideration had the EMS time been used. In patients with wake-up stroke symptoms, EMS underestimated LKN times: mean neurologist LKN time-EMS LKN time=208 minutes. The presence of wake-up stroke symptoms (P<0.0001) and older age (P=0.019) were independent predictors of prolonged |ΔLKN|. CONCLUSIONS: EMS-reported LKN times were largely congruent with neurologist-determined times. Focused EMS training regarding wake-up stroke symptoms may further improve accuracy.

Critical airway skills and procedures.

Airway management is a critical procedure and essential skill necessary for all physicians working in the emergency department. Optimal resuscitative treatment of medical and trauma patients often revolves around timely and effective airway interventions that can be challenging in the acute setting, especially in critical patients. Time-honored airway techniques and procedures combined with recent advances in rapid sequence intubation, video laryngoscopy, and further advanced airway techniques now offer emergency clinicians a wide range of exciting new options for improving this crucial component of acute care and management.