EMS Training: Airway Management – LT King Airway

BACKGROUND

Introduction Approximately 360 000 adults suffer an emergency medical service (treated out of hospital cardiac arrest in the United States each year. Cardiac arrest continues to be a devastating condition for most individuals with a current overall survival rate of around 10%. Outcomes have improved since the introduction of the cardiac arrest chain of survival in the early 1990 s however, there are still many areas of resuscitation science to be explored, which could potentially improve patient outcomes.One of the most important links in the chain is early high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (with an emphasis on chest compressions. However, guidelines provide rescuers with minimal direction on optimal ventilation management during resuscitation.- Ventilation may play a crucial role in cardiac arrest resuscitation by allowing for adequate oxygen administration and meaningful carbon dioxide elimination, thereby improving cellular metabolism. - Modifiable factors affecting out of hospital ventilation include rate, tidal volume, ventilation delivery time, airway pressure, and timing with chest compressions. - The goals of this narrative review are to evaluate the available evidence regarding the role of ventilation in out of hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation and to provide recommendations for future directions.