Safety and Risk in Airway Management During Bariatric Air Medical Retrieval.

Objective: Bariatric anatomy and physiology present added clinical challenges to the provision of safe critical care and patient transport. LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine provides air medical retrieval services in Queensland, Australia, and performs over 6,000 retrieval missions annually using rotary wing, fixed wing, and ground ambulance platforms.

Methods: Bariatric patient retrievals were identified from the LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine electronic patient database.

Ketamine-Induced Spontaneous Breathing Intubation With Airway Topicalization: A Case Report of Airway Obstruction in Retrieval Care.

A LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine air medical team was tasked to a rural facility 200 km away to manage and retrieve a 73-year-old woman with evolving airway obstruction. Resources at the referring site included a general practitioner with anesthetic skills training but no access to otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) or flexible fiberoptic airway devices. On arrival of the LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine, the patient became agitated, with deterioration in her airway patency.

Rural experience for junior doctors: is it time to make it mandatory?

Objective: To determine whether rural practice terms for junior doctors result in increased interest in rural practice and whether these terms improve learning experiences, clinical skills and insight into difficulties of rural practice.

Design: Semistructured, self-administered survey with questions on respondent demographics, clinical experience during rural practice terms, post-rural experience and personal opinion.

Setting: South East Queensland.