The American Society of Anesthesiologists difficult airway algorithm identifies two acceptable emergency surgical airways in the 'cannot intubate, cannot ventilate' scenario: cricothyrotomy and tracheotomy. Little has been published regarding the emergency surgical airway practices at different institutions. The authors investigated whether the primary choice of emergency surgical airway at a m...

OBJECTIVES Airway stabilization is critical in combat maxillofacial injury as normal anatomical landmarks can be obscured. The study objective was to characterize the epidemiology of airway management in maxillofacial trauma. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective database analysis. SETTING Military treatment facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and stateside tertiary care centers. SUBJECTS In total, 1...

OBJECTIVES To audit indications for and practice (in terms of training/qualification) of definitive airway management compared with current UK practices. DESIGN Consecutive observational study. SETTING Tygerberg Academic Hospital Trauma Service, Western Cape. SUBJECTS All trauma patients either arriving intubated or requiring intubation at the Trauma unit during the period 1 - 31 August 2...

OBJECTIVE To compare the outcomes of preterm infants with respiratory distress initiated on either Heated Humidified High Flow Nasal Cannula or Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure as a primary mode of respiratory support. STUDY DESIGN Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING Tertiary care level III neonatal intensive care unit. PARTICIPANTS 88 preterm infants between 28 to 34...

OBJECTIVE The management of patients with penetrating neck injuries in the prehospital setting and in the emergency department has evolved with regard to the necessity for spinal immobilisation and the use of multidetector computed tomographic (MDCT) imaging. Questions also arise as to choices of securing a threatened or compromised airway. A structured review of the medical literature was cond...

UNLABELLED The purpose of the study was to compare the ease of insertion of the laryngeal mask airway using the standard uninflated approach or with a fully inflated cuff. Two hundred consecutive patients undergoing anesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway were randomized to have the laryngeal mask inserted using either method. Successful insertion was judged primarily by the clinical function ...

Pneumomediastinum, defined as the presence of air in mediastinum often occurs due to trauma, mechanical ventilation or surgical procedure. It may also occur spontaneously predisposing lung diseases such asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary airway disease (COPD). In this report, we present a case patient with COVID-19 pneumonia without any underlying conditions usual risk factors for pneumom...

Violent trauma and road traffic injuries kill more than 2.5 million people in the world every year, for a combined mortality of 48 deaths per 100,000 population per year. Most trauma deaths occur at the scene or in the first hour after trauma, with a proportion from 34% to 50% occurring in hospitals. Preventability of trauma deaths has been reported as high as 76% and as low as 1% in mature tra...