Mask lung ventilation by ambulance personnel: a performance assessment

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Anesthesiology
• Respiratory Care

Background:

• Effective airway management is crucial in emergency and anesthetic settings.
• Face mask ventilation is a fundamental skill for healthcare providers.
• Comparing the proficiency of ambulance officers and anaesthetists in mask ventilation is important for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the lung ventilation effectiveness between basic life support ambulance officers and anaesthetists.
• To evaluate the impact of hand grip technique (one vs. two hands) on ventilation quality.
• To assess the incidence of oesophageal insufflation and mask leak in both professional groups.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving ambulance officers and anaesthetists performing face mask lung ventilation on a test lung.
• Standardized airway conditions and randomized hand grip order were used.
• Ventilation volumes, mask leak, and oesophageal insufflation were measured using calibrated equipment and auscultation.

Main Results:

• Expiratory volumes were higher at 30 cm H2O compared to 20 cm H2O, irrespective of profession or hand grip.
• No significant difference in mask leak was observed between professions, but ambulance officers had less leak with a two-handed grip at 20 cm H2O.
• Anaesthetists experienced a higher incidence of oesophageal insufflation with a two-handed grip.

Conclusions:

• In healthy, relaxed patients, ambulance officers and anaesthetists exhibit comparable abilities in airway maintenance and face mask holding.
• Specific techniques, like a two-handed grip, may influence mask leak and oesophageal insufflation differently between these professional groups.
• Further research may refine best practices for face mask ventilation across different healthcare provider levels.