Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) Training Improves First Responder Confidence to Face Mass-Casualty Incidents in Thailand.

Background: Medical response to mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) requires specialized training and preparation. Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) is a course designed to prepare health care workers for a MCI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the confidence of health care professionals in Thailand to face a MCI after participating in a BDLS course.

Use of pulse co-oximetry as a screening and monitoring tool in mass carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning remains a common cause of poisoning in the United States. We describe a case where responding fire department personnel encountered a sick employee with a headache at an automotive brake manufacturing plant. Using both atmospheric CO monitoring and pulse CO-oximetry technology, fire department personnel were able to diagnose the cause of the patient's illness and later identify the source of CO in the plant.

Three-step emergency cricothyroidotomy.

Objective: Surgical cricothyroidotomy is the airway of choice in combat. It is too dangerous for combat medics to perform orotracheal intubation, because of the time needed to complete the procedure and the light signature from the intubation equipment, which provides an easy target for the enemy. The purpose of this article was to provide a modified approach for obtaining a surgical airway in complete darkness, with night-vision goggles.

Hyperventilation following aero-medical rapid sequence intubation may be a deliberate response to hypoxemia.

Background: Recent studies document a high incidence of hyperventilation by prehospital providers, with a potentially detrimental effect on outcome in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Purpose: To document the incidence of hyperventilation by aero-medical providers and explore a possible relationship between hyperventilation episodes and desaturations or impending hypoxemia.

Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study using TBI patients undergoing prehospital RSI by aero-medical crews.

The effectiveness of a novel, algorithm-based difficult airway curriculum for air medical crews using human patient simulators.

Introduction: Airway management is one of the most important skills possessed by flight crews. However, few data exist about the efficacy of various educational approaches. Traditional models for airway training, including cadaver labs, operating room exposure, and clinical apprenticeships, are scarce and offer variable educational quality.