Oropharyngeal Foreign Body: Upper Airway Management Strategies in Paediatric Population

@#Foreign body (FB) ingestion among children is one of the most common presenting complaint to Emergency Department. Oropharyngeal foreign body are the least common, 5-10% in all FB ingestion. However, it carries significant mortality and morbidity following complications which may arise from it. Airway obstruction is one of the complications which may present after FB ingestion. Due to the significant differences in airway anatomy and physiology of children, management of an obstructed pediatric airway is challenging. It requires proper skill and experience to prevent further fatal complications. Proper assessment and airway evaluation are crucial before proceeding with endotracheal intubation. Surgical airway is only reserved in ‘Cannot Ventilate Cannot Intubate’ situation where it should be done by a skilled person, as it carries risk of injury to underlying vital structures.

Locked-in Syndrome Following a King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) Envenomation

Theincidence of envenoming from king cobra, Ophiophagus hannah in human is relatively rare. Its venom acts on the postsynaptic region of the neuromuscular junction causing descending flaccid paralysis. Locked-in syndrome is a clinical state of inability to provide motor response in a conscious patient. Many reported cases of locked-in syndrome following neurotoxic snake-bite mimics brain death. We report a case of a middle aged man who presented with progressive neurological deficit following a king cobra bite over his right arm. He had local and systemic neurotoxic envenoming. His condition deteriorated, and was intubated and ventilated in the emergency department. He received a total of 33 vials of the Ophiophagus hannah monospecific antivenom and subsequently recovered well with no neurological deficit. Retrospectively, he was able to recall the events and while he was lying paralysed and intubated under minimal sedation in the intensive care unit. He described it as a terrifying and painful experience. This case highlights the rare presentation of locked-in syndrome following a systemic envenoming from a king cobra bite. It is important to differentiate neurotoxic snake envenoming lock-in syndrome from brain dead. Patients are unable to respond to physical pain and require adequate analgesia. A patient suffering this highly distressing experience may require psychological support.

Paramedics’ Perception on Video Assisted Learning Method in Learning Emergency Skills

Information technology use in healthcare education has become a popular medium of instruction. One of the medium of instruction is video assisted learning (VAL). The use of VAL as an instructional method in the teaching and learning of emergency skills is not new. However, there are lack of studies on the perception of using this method in learning emergency skills. This qualitative study involved four focused discussion groups following a VAL instruction on emergency skills. A total of 20 paramedics were divided into four groups. They were involved in a focussed discussion after a VAL instruction session. Findings reveal that the paramedics perceived three major themes which were categorized as : i) advantages of video as teaching tool, ii) barrier in using video as a teaching tool; and iii) suggestions on using video as teaching tool. The findings indicate that the paramedics perceived VAL as a potential tool for learning emergency skills. However, they suggested the language of instruction should be in their mother tongue for better understanding. This implies that using English language has disadvantage in technology enhanced learning for better understanding.