Advanced Prehospital Airway Management: Analyzing Success Rates and Predictors of King Laryngeal Tube Use

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Airway Management
• Prehospital Care

Background:

• Prehospital advanced airway management is critical for patient outcomes.
• The King Laryngeal Tube (King LT) is a widely used device for emergency airway management.
• Limited data exists on King LT's first-attempt success and influencing factors in Saudi Arabia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the first-attempt success rate of the King LT in Saudi Arabia.
• To identify predictors of successful King LT management in prehospital settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study of 239 King LT cases from October 2021 to September 2022.
• Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and regression analysis were utilized.
• Data analyzed from the main emergency medical services provider in Saudi Arabia.

Main Results:

• The overall first-attempt success rate for King LT insertion was 82.4%.
• Adults (58.6%) and males (70.7%) were the predominant demographics.
• Afternoon incidents showed a significant association with successful King LT placement (aOR = 2.92, p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

• This is the first nationwide study on King LT use in Saudi Arabia, detailing advanced airway management characteristics.
• High King LT utilization in adults, males, medical cases, and indoor incidents suggests a need for tailored training.
• While success rates are high, further training could enhance performance in prehospital airway management.