It’s a brisk fall afternoon when an ALS unit is dispatched to the home of a 62 yo female in respiratory distress. She lives on the third story of an apartment building. The team carries their gear upstairs to find a woman in severe distress. She is obese, tripoding and beginning to get combative. The medics are setting up their CPAP and calling for assistance when the patient stops fighting and becomes apneic. Two-person BVM is initiated but the patient is difficult to ventilate and oxygen saturations remain poor. The medic decides to attempt to intubate, but is unsuccessful after one attempt and they decide to move on to a supraglottic airway.
Which supraglottic airway should they be using?
What supraglottic airway is available within your EMS system? Why is it preferred and what are its advantages over the alternatives?
Read the Case Conclusion here.