use every piece of equipment at your disposal

 

As a professional, it's important to be able to use every piece of equipment at your disposal

Sometimes people hand you items that carry more liabilities than average. It's crucial to find those liabilities before the device has to be used in a crisis moment.

This surgical airway kit looks fairly standard from the outside. Once opened and the individual components are inspected, though, you find a very unusual "cut down" endotracheal tube.

The package was completely intact and unbent, yet the tube itself has a hard kink. I'm told by others more familiar with the kit that they essentially all come this way.

The flange that secures the tube once placed comes off at 90° to the tube, which may bend the tube at an unnecessary angle when seated and secured.

Finally, the tube adapter — removable on all tubes of this type — pops off abnormally easily on this one. In a hectic surgical airway, I can see it getting lost.

Thanks to 6:8 Medical Solutions for suggesting I take a closer look. All of the above observations were theirs. I agree with every one.

#TacticalMedicine #TCCC #TECC #PrehospitalCare #AirwayManagement #EmergencyMedicine