Large-diameter suction system reduces oropharyngeal evacuation time.

Aspiration of vomitus is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Standard suction equipment may be incapable of rapidly evacuating vomitus from the oropharynx. In this prospective, randomized, controlled bench trial, we compared a large-diameter suction system (5/8-inch open-bore suction tip and 3/4-inch tubing attached to a 1-inch pour spout) with two standard suction systems (small-diameter blunt-nosed and medium-diameter open-bore 1/4-inch suction tips connected to 1/4-inch tubing). Mean evacuation times from the mouth of a volunteer of 90 mL of water, activated charcoal, and Progresso vegetable soup were measured. All systems removed water within 3 s. With vegetable soup, however, both standard suction systems obstructed. Despite additional mechanical scooping with the standard suction wands, the large-diameter system significantly outperformed both standard systems, by 10 s with the soup and 40 s with the charcoal The reduction in oropharyngeal evacuation times of viscous and particulate material may have important clinical implications in the emergency management of the threatened airway.

The inadequacies of contemporary oropharyngeal suction.

Airway management is the highest priority in any resuscitation. Suction equipment capable of rapidly clearing the oropharynx is mandatory for airway management. Inadequate oropharyngeal suction with standard equipment may be associated with major complications in emergency airway management. We report cases that illustrate the inadequacies of standard suction equipment. Available oropharyngeal aspirators and their limitations are discussed. Recent advances in the field of oropharyngeal suction also are described.

Large-diameter suction tubing significantly improves evacuation time of simulated vomitus.

Current suction equipment is often inadequate at clearing the oropharynx. This study tested the hypothesis that evacuation times of simulated vomitus could be significantly improved by increasing suction tube and connection port diameters. Two standard suction systems and a new large-diameter suction system were tested. Mean evacuation times for 90 mL (an average mouthful) of three different vomitus-simulating substances--water, activated charcoal, and Progresso vegetable soup--were compared. All parameters other than suction tubing and attachment port diameters remained constant. The data were analyzed with analysis of variance and Fisher's protected least significant difference post hoc test. Use of large-diameter suction tubing significantly (P < .0001) improved evacuation time for each of the three substances. This improvement was most evident in the trials with activated charcoal and the vegetable soup, where there was a tenfold decrease in mean evacuation time. These results show that large-diameter 3/4-inch suction tubing connected to the 1-inch port is superior to the standard 1/4-inch tubing and connection ports currently used. The tenfold reduction in evacuation time of viscous and particulate materials may have important clinical implications in preventing or minimizing complications from aspiration.