First pass success of tracheal intubation using the C-MAC PM videolaryngoscope as first-line device in prehospital cardiac arrest compared with other emergencies: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Successful airway management is a priority in the resuscitation of critically ill or traumatised patients. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of achieving maximum first pass success, particularly in prehospital advanced airway management. OBJECTIVE: To compare success rates of emergency intubations between patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for cardiac arrest (CPR group) and other emergencies (non-CPR group) using the C-MAC PM videolaryngoscope. DESIGN: Ongoing analysis of prospective collected prehospital advanced airway management core variables. SETTING: Single helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) 'Christoph 22', Ulm Military Hospital, Germany, May 2009 to July 2018. PATIENTS: We included all 1006 HEMS patients on whom prehospital advanced airway management was performed by board-certified anaesthesiologists on call at HEMS 'Christoph 22'. INTERVENTIONS: The C-MAC PM was used as the first-line device. The initial direct laryngoscopy was carried out using the C-MAC PM without the monitor in sight. After scoring the direct laryngoscopic view according to the Cormack and Lehane grade, the monitor was folded within the sight of the physician and tracheal intubation was performed using the videolaryngoscopic view without removing the blade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was successful airway management. Secondary outcomes were the patient's position during airway management, necessity for suction, direct and videolaryngoscopic view according to Cormack and Lehane grading, as well as number of attempts needed for successful intubation. RESULTS: A patent airway was achieved in all patients including rescue techniques. There was a lower first pass success rate in the CPR group compared with the non-CPR group (84.4 vs. 91.4%, P = 0.01). In the CPR group, direct laryngoscopy resulted more often in a clinically unfavourable (Cormack and Lehane grade 3 or 4) glottic view (CPR vs. non-CPR-group 37.2 vs. 26.7%, P = 0.0071). Using videolaryngoscopy reduced the clinically unfavourable grading to Cormack and Lehane 1 or 2 (P < 0.0001). The odds of achieving first pass success were approximately 12-fold higher with a favourable glottic view than with an unfavourable glottic view (OR 12.6, CI, 6.70 to 23.65). CONCLUSION: Airway management in an anaesthesiologist-staffed HEMS is associated with a high first pass success rate but even with skilled providers using the C-MAC PM videolaryngoscope routinely, patients who require CPR offer more difficulties for successful prehospital advanced airway management at the first attempt. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical trials register (drks.de) DRKS00020484.

Oligoanalgesia in Patients With an Initial Glasgow Coma Scale Score ≥8 in a Physician-Staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service: A Multicentric Secondary Data Analysis of >100,000 Out-of-Hospital Emergency Missions.

BACKGROUND: Oligoanalgesia, as well as adverse events related to the initiated pain therapy, is prevalent in out-of-hospital emergency medicine, even when a physician is present. We sought to identify factors involved in insufficient pain therapy of patients presenting with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of ≥8 in the out-of-hospital phase, when therapy is provided by a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service (p-HEMS). METHODS: This was a multicenter, secondary data analysis of conscious patients treated in primary p-HEMS missions between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2017. Patients with a numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score ≥4, GCS score ≥8 on the scene, without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) score

Necessity to depict difficult neck anatomy for training of cricothyroidotomy: A pilot study evaluating two surgical devices on a new hybrid training model.

BACKGROUND: Everyone dealing with airway emergencies must be able to accomplish cricothyroidotomy, which cannot be trained in real patients. Training models are necessary. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the suitability of a hybrid training model combining synthetic and porcine parts to depict variable neck anatomy. DESIGN: Model-based comparative trial. SETTING: Armed Forces Hospital Ulm, Germany, August 2018. INTERVENTION: On four anatomical neck variations (long slim/long obese/short slim/short obese) we performed two surgical approaches to cricothyroidotomy (SurgiCric II vs. ControlCric). PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight volunteers divided into two groups based on their personal skill level: beginners group and proficient performers group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to completion was recorded for each procedure. Once the operator had indicated completion, the correct anatomical tube placement was confirmed by dissection and structures were inspected for complications. Primary outcomes were successful tracheal placement of an airway tube and time needed to achieve a patent airway. Secondary outcome was assessment of complications. RESULTS: Overall, 384 procedures were performed. Median time to completion was 74 s. In total, 284 procedures (74%) resulted in successful ventilation. Time to completion was longer in short obese than in long slim and the risk of unsuccessful procedures was increased in short obese compared with long slim. Even if ControlCric resulted in faster completion of the procedure, its use was less successful and had an increased risk of complications compared with SurgiCric II. Proficient performers group performed faster but had an increased risk of injuring the tracheal wall compared with beginners group. CONCLUSION: Participants had difficulties in performing cricothyroidotomy in obese models, but various and difficult anatomical situations must be expected in airway management and therefore must be taught. A new hybrid model combining porcine and synthetic materials offers the necessary conditions for the next step in training of surgical airway procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was performed without human tissue or living animals, and was therefore exempted from ethical review by the University of Ulm Ethical Committee, Germany (Chairperson Prof Dr C. Lenk) on 9 August 2018. Hence a protocol number was not attributed.

Improvement in glottic visualisation by using the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope as a first-line device for out-of-hospital emergency tracheal intubation: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital tracheal intubation is associated with life-threatening complications. To date, no study has compared direct and video laryngoscopic views simultaneously in the same patients in an out-of-hospital setting. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of C-MAC PM video laryngoscope on laryngeal view, compared with direct laryngoscopy, and to estimate possible consequences for patient safety. DESIGN: An observational, single-centre study. SETTING: Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) 'CHRISTOPH 22', Ulm, Germany. PATIENTS: Two-hundrend and twenty-eight emergency patients undergoing airway management out of hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation using C-MAC PM video laryngoscope. For all intubations, the HEMS physician used CMAC PM as the first-line device and performed an initial direct laryngoscopy followed by a video laryngoscopy, without changing the laryngoscope blade. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The difference in laryngeal view was recorded as well as the number of intubation attempts along with the success rate and difficulties in airway management. Improvement in glottic visualisation from Cormack and Lehane grade III/IV to I/II was rated as being clinically relevant. RESULTS: During a 20-month study period, a total of 228 out-of-hospital emergency patients requiring tracheal intubation were included. The overall success rate in securing the airway was 100%. For 226 patients (99.1%), tracheal intubation was successful with two or fewer attempts. For comparison of direct and indirect laryngoscopic views, five patients were excluded because of the use of an indirect laryngoscope blade. Of 223 patients, 120 had a glottic view rated as Cormack and Lehane grade II to IV with direct laryngoscopy; in these patients, visualisation of the glottis was significantly improved with the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope (P < 0.001). In 56 patients (25.1%), improvement of glottic visualisation was clinically relevant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Use of the C-MAC PM video laryngoscope is associated with improved visualisation of the glottis according to the Cormack and Lehane grading system and an excellent success rate for out-of-hospital tracheal intubation. These results suggest that the use of C-MAC PM as a first-line device for tracheal intubation by out-of-hospital emergency medical services is a safe procedure.

Prehospital predictors of the need for transfusion in patients with major trauma.

PURPOSE: Severe haemorrhage is a leading cause of early mortality following major trauma. By early identification of patients at risk, blood transfusion could already be initiated in the prehospital period. Aim of the study was to evaluate the extent to which prehospital lactate and base excess, which are known to be associated with trauma-induced coagulopathy, and additional clinical parameters are associated with the need for early transfusion. METHODS: In this prospective, single-centre observational study, trauma patients treated by a helicopter emergency medical service were included, regardless of the injury severity. Patients with coagulation-influencing drugs in long-term therapy were excluded. Blood samples obtained at the beginning of the prehospital treatment were analysed. Primary outcome was the association of lactate and base excess with the need for early transfusion (resuscitation room or immediate surgery). Receiver operating characteristic curves were created, and the area under the curve (AUROC) was calculated. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2018, 21 out of 130 adult trauma patients received blood products during the early in-hospital treatment. Both prehospital lactate and base excess were associated with the transfusion (AUROC 0.731 and 0.798, respectively). The optimal calculated cut-off values were 4 mmol/l (lactate) and - 2.5 mmol/l (base excess). When circulatory instability and suspected relevant bleeding were included, the association further improved (AUROC 0.871 and 0.866, respectively). CONCLUSION: Prehospital lactate and base excess could be used in combination with other clinical parameters as indicators of the need for early transfusion. This relationship has yet to be confirmed in the current validation study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register, www.drks.de (No. DRKS 00009559).

Analysis of tourniquet pressure over military winter clothing and a short review of combat casualty care in cold weather warfare.

Cold weather warfare is of increasing importance. Haemorrhage is the most common preventable cause of death in military conflicts. We analysed the pressure of the Combat Application Tourniquet® Generation 7 (CAT), the SAM® Extremity Tourniquet (SAMXT) and the SOF® Tactical Tourniquet Wide Generation 4 (SOFTT) over different military cold weather clothing setups with a leg tourniquet trainer. We conducted a selective PubMed search and supplemented this with own experiences in cold weather medicine. The CAT and the SAMXT both reached the cut off value of 180mmHg in almost all applications. The SOFTT was unable to reach the 180mmHg limit in less than 50% of all applications in some clothing setups. We outline the influence of cold during military operations by presenting differences between military and civilian cold exposure. We propose a classification of winter warfare and identify caveats and alterations of Tactical Combat Casualty Care in cold weather warfare, with a special focus on control of bleeding. The application of tourniquets over military winter clothing is successful in principle, but effectiveness may vary for different tourniquet models. Soldiers are more affected and impaired by cold than civilians. Military commanders must be made aware of medical alterations in cold weather warfare.

Prehospital evaluation and detection of induced coagulopathy in trauma: The PREDICT study.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage with trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) and hyperfibrinolysis (HF) increases the mortality risk after severe trauma. While TIC at hospital admission is well studied, little is known about coagulopathy at the incident site. The aim of the study was to investigate coagulation disorders already present on scene. METHODS: In a prospective single-center observational study, blood samples of trauma patients obtained before and at hospital admission were analyzed. Data on rotational thromboelastometry, blood gas analysis, prehospital treatment, injury severity, in-hospital blood transfusions, and mortality were investigated according to the presence of coagulation disorders at the incident site. The patients were divided into three groups according to the presence of coagulation disorders (no coagulopathy, TIC, TIC with HF). In a subgroup analysis, patients with a Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy Clinical Score (TICCS) of ≥10 were investigated. RESULTS: Between August 2015 and February 2018, 148 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean Injury Severity Score was 22.1, and overall mortality was 7.4%. Trauma-induced coagulopathy and HF were already detectable at the incident site in 18.2% and 6.1%, respectively. Patients with HF had significantly altered circulation parameters with significant changes in pH, hemoglobin, lactate, and base excess at the incident site. In patients with TICCS of ≥10 (14.2%), TIC was detected in 47.6% of the cases and HF in 28.6%. Furthermore, in these patients, blood gas parameters significantly changed and the need for blood transfusion and mortality. CONCLUSION: Trauma-induced coagulopathy and HF can be detected in severely injured patients even before medical treatment is started. Furthermore, in patients with HF and TICCS of ≥10, blood gas parameters were significantly changed at the incident site. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III.

Insertion Success of the Laryngeal Tube in Emergency Airway Management.

Background. Emergency airway management (AM) is a priority when resuscitating critically ill or severely injured patients. The goal of this study was to determine the success rates of LT insertion during AM. Methods. Studies that included LT first-pass insertion (FPI) and overall-pass insertion (OPI) success by emergency medical services and in-hospital providers performing AM for emergency situations as well as for scheduled surgery published until July 2014 were searched systematically in Medline. Results. Data of 36 studies (n = 1,897) reported a LT FPI success by physicians of 82.5% with an OPI success of 93.6% (p < 0.001). A cumulative analysis of all 53 studies (n = 3,600) led to FPI and OPI success of 80.1% and 92.6% (p < 0.001), respectively. The results of 26 studies (n = 2,159) comparing the LT with the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) demonstrated a FPI success of 77.0 versus 78.7% (p = 0.36) and an OPI success of 92.2 versus 97.7% (p < 0.001). Conclusion. LT insertion failed in the first attempt in one out of five patients, with an overall failure rate in one out of 14 patients. When compared with the LT, the LMA had a cumulative 5.5% better OPI success rate.