Surgical airways

[L-Webb]

I was wanting to know who does surgical airways. Have you ever attempted one? ect

They are being added to our scope as paramedics here in ga. We have always used the needle before.

Thanks

[backsteprescue123]

They are in the Paramedic protocols here. Useful in severe anaphalxis and sometimes for pinned pts in a wreck. It gets used a few times a year at my vollie dept. At work, countywide it probably gets done maybe 20-40 times a year. They use it alot in shootings.... seems like people are always getting shot in the face around here.

[LeatherHed4Life]

They are in the Paramedic protocols here. Useful in severe anaphalxis and sometimes for pinned pts in a wreck. It gets used a few times a year at my vollie dept. At work, countywide it probably gets done maybe 20-40 times a year. They use it alot in shootings.... seems like people are always getting shot in the face around here.

wow 20-40 cric's a year? how many medical runs does the county do a year?

[The5thBattalion]

We have a crich kit in all our bags and it is in our protocols. We aren't taught how to do it, nor do we ever really get the chance to do it. Our transports are not long at all and a regional trauma center is our main hospital, so we make due with tubes and whatever else.

Personally, I would not feel comfortable doing one, since I have never trained on it. I don't know of anyone who has needed to perform one either.

[backsteprescue123]

wow 20-40 cric's a year? how many medical runs does the county do a year?

That's just a ballpark guess. It may be less. The last year I could find stats for was 2008 and they did 27k + calls. That's just the 10 county ALS units. Counting FD BLS and ALS units, I think that would add an additional 25k easy.

Like I said, I cannot say for sure as I do not have all the stats, just an educated guess.

[Firemedic 61]

I've done it one time, around 8 years ago. We have the EZ-Fix kit on all our vehicles and we do a skill station twice a year using pig necks.

[Capt-nj]

I'm not trying to start trouble or call anyone a liar, but WOW, 20-40 a year. Those boys are good shot!! I work in one of the busiest places in the country (Northern New Jersey) and maybe 1 or 2 are done a year...In the whole state. I've never even had to pull the perk trach out of my bag. Now that I think of it. I don't even carry it with me. It's left on the bus. That's just crazy!
I will say though having learned two different ways of doing it, the Perk Trach kits we have which is standard throughout the state is simple and easy to use. The old way of using the 10cc syringe and a 14 guage are over. I am sure you can google Perk trachs and find it. To explain it would hert my hands with all the typing!! Look it up. It's pretty cool!