combi/kingairway BLS or ALS?

wildmed

wildmed

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Does your service/ state have the insertion of combi/king airways as a BLS or an ALS measure? what do you think it should be? while it seems to be pretty much idiot-proof, however it is also far more invasive than an an OPA/NPA? Even further, I have heard that several states are making intubation a BLS skill? I don't know how I feel about that.
 
wildmed said:
Does your service/ state have the insertion of combi/king airways as a BLS or an ALS measure? what do you think it should be? while it seems to be pretty much idiot-proof, however it is also far more invasive than an an OPA/NPA? Even further, I have heard that several states are making intubation a BLS skill? I don't know how I feel about that.
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MLAs, EOA, and LMA is considered BLS here in NM. King is not yet approved for use AFAIK.
 
MLAs, EOA, and LMA is considered BLS here in NM. King is not yet approved for use AFAIK.​
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im sorry... what? Im new ...
 
rjrobinson said:
im sorry... what? Im new ...
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MLA= Multi-Lumen Airways. Eg. Combitube.
LMA= Laryngeal Mask Airway
EOA= Esophageal Obturator Airway
 
Not sure about them being still in use. I know it was a device the state still has in scope of practice as an either/or for MLA. I did play with one a few times cause my old service had a few in the storeroom just laying around.
 
NC considers MLAs to be a BLS skill, and protocol here is to insert one after the 2nd shock from a AED(after confirming pulselessness and apnea). Henderson county(Hendersonville, where I live)uses the CombiTube, the next county over from me uses the King airway. I don't know who might use the LMA around this area...
 
The last service I worked for still carried the Eoa, in the five years I was there I never heard of anybody using one. I think that service it was considered an als skill.
 
I honestly dont know much about the different advanced airways, i just wanted to know
Whats the difference between a King LT and Combitube?

the combitube just looks like a longer version of the King LT
 
the two services I've been involved with both use the Combi tube. and have for 16+ years
 
King


KING-LT-D5.jpg

http://www.kingsystems.com/EDUCATION/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/KINGLTAirways/tabid/132/Default.aspx

king_lt-d2_300.jpg


Combitube

combitube.jpg


combioverview.jpg


combitube.jpg


airway-fig6.jpg
 
My service uses combitube.

Tennessee has been talking about creating a third teir emt called "EMT-Advanced" which will be able to set up and do some EKG reading, and ET tubes as well as IO.

I am pretty sure that they are close to getting that underway because they are making BLS ambulances required to have the technology to send EKGs ahead to the hospital enroute.
 
The King is designed to always intubate the esophagus and ventilate through proximal holes, there by only needing one airway connection.

The Combi can either be placed in the trachea or esophagus and as such has two ports, one for the distal port and one for the proximal ports. Two different possible ventilation ports means it can take longer to find tge right one and possibly cause gastric distention if the wrong one is used.


Also the Combi is made with latex while the King is not.



Long explanation made short due to me being on my iPhone.
 
Thank you VentMedic and Linuss for the explanations!!
 
I work at a couple places. One allows Combitubes for basics. The other uses Kings, which basics can't apply.
 
so we have established the difference between the different blind airways... But what do you think? ALS or BLS? Here in colorado it is dependent on the agency you work for. As far as the EMT-A, i have heard it will be similar to the I-85 level, so somewhere in-between EMT-B-IV and EMT-I. I have no idea what scope of practice it will entail though. There is nothing about it in rule 500 since the last time I looked.
 
I guess I should say what I think too. I think they should be a BLS skill if a basic receives extra training or certification in it.
 
wildmed said:
I guess I should say what I think too. I think they should be a BLS skill if a basic receives extra training or certification in it.
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Here they're BLS because they are included in the EMT-B curriculum.
 
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