ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the capability of first responders to ensure an airway and ventilate the lungs of a patient employing a bag-valve device and two oxygen-driven resuscitators. METHODS: Prospective, controlled, blinded, single-centre clinical trial using a bag-valve device and one of two FR-300 devices, with 20 cmH2O working pressure, flows of 24 and 30 L min(-1). One-hundred-and-four patients were analysed. Induction of anaesthesia was followed by ventilation of the lungs with a bag-valve device and an Oxylator (CPR Medical Devices Corp., Markham, Ontario, Canada) in manual and automatic modes. Each series was repeated twice by a fireman first responder using a hand-held mask to seal the airway, once under anaesthesia and then again under anaesthesia with muscle relaxation. RESULTS: Patients' mean age 49 +/- 17 yr; 47% male, 48-132 kg. Only 29% had optimal facial and airway physiognomy. Airway management was significantly poorer when the bag-valve device was used than with either Oxylator mode (P < 0.0001); 23% of cases were not manageable with the bag-valve device. Gastric insufflation was markedly less with the Oxylator (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The use of an oxygen-driven device improves the ability of first responders to secure an airway and reduce gastric insufflation, even when distracted. Oxylators perform significantly better (P < 0.0001) than the bag-valve device.
Subject(s)
Emergency Treatment/methods , Laryngeal Masks , Respiration, Artificial/instrumentation , Ventilators, Mechanical/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Anesthesia, General/methods , Anesthetics, Intravenous/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Insufflation , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle Relaxants, Central/therapeutic use , Propofol/therapeutic use , Prospective Studies , Respiration, Artificial/methods , Single-Blind Method , Statistics, Nonparametric , Sufentanil/therapeutic useABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the capability of first responders to achieve and maintain normal ventilation of the lungs of victims employing a bag-valve device and two oxygen-driven resuscitators. METHODS: Prospective, controlled, blinded, single-centre clinical trial using a bag-valve device and one of two FR-300 devices, with 20 cmH2O working pressure, and flows of either 24 or 30 L min(-1). One hundred and four patients were analysed. Induction of anaesthesia followed by ventilation of the lungs with a bag-valve device and an Oxylator in manual and automatic modes performed by a fireman first responder. Each series was repeated for three conditions (anaesthesia; anaesthesia plus muscle relaxation, both with facemask; anaesthesia plus relaxation using an endotracheal tube). RESULTS: Patients age 49 +/- 17 yr; 47% males, 48-132 kg. Normocapnia was achieved and maintained in 66% (bag-valve device), 82% (Oxylator). CONCLUSIONS: The use of an oxygen-driven device improves the ability of first responders to achieve and maintain normocapnia even when distracted. Use of the Oxylators improves performance (P < 0.001) vs. the bag-valve device significantly.
