Airway management in emergency medicine. Presentation of the S1 guidelines on airway management of the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine and further recommendations on preclinical airway management

The S1 guidelines on airway management of the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) gives recommendations on the use of various techniques for securing the airway and on strategies in the case of difficult airway management. This article presents the recommendations relevant to emergency medicine, complemented by aspects from the practical recommendations on preclinical airway management of the DGAI and the guidelines on prehospital airway management of the Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (SSAI). Endotracheal intubation (ETI) remains the method of choice to secure the airway in emergency medicine but requires sufficient training. Bag mask ventilation and extraglottic airway (EGA) devices are alternative methods. The EGAs should be equipped with a gastric drainage channel and the cuff pressure should be measured. Cricothyroidotomy is a salvage technique in cases of imminent asphyxia. Before induction of anaesthesia the patient needs to be examined for predictors of difficult airway management and preoxygenated. In case of difficult intubation, attempts at intubation should be limited to two and techniques should be optimized, e.g. by positioning head and larynx, using a bougie or video laryngoscopy. If these attempts fail, alternative methods, including cricothyroidotomy if necessary, should be resorted to

Chest decompression in emergency medicine and intensive care

Decompression of the chest is a life-saving invasive procedure for tension pneumothorax, trauma-associated cardiopulmonary resuscitation or massive haematopneumothorax that every emergency physician or intensivist must master. Particularly in the preclinical setting, indication must be restricted to urgent cases, but in these cases chest decompression must be executed without delay, even in subpar circumstances. The methods available are needle decompression or thoracentesis via mini-thoracotomy with or without insertion of a chest tube in the midclavicular line of the 2nd/3rd intercostal space (Monaldi-position) or in the anterior to mid-axillary line of the 4th/5th intercostal space (Bulau-position). Needle decompression is quick and does not require much material, but should be regarded as a temporary measure. Due to insufficient length of the usual 14-gauge intravenous catheters, the pleural cavity cannot be reached in a considerable percentage of patients. In the case of mini-thoracotomy, one must be cautious not to penetrate the chest inferior of the mammillary level, to employ blunt dissection techniques, to clearly identify the pleural space with a finger and not to use a trocar. In extremely urgent cases opening the pleural membrane by thoracostomy without inserting a chest tube is sufficient in mechanically ventilated patients. Complications are common and mainly include ectopic positions, which can jeopardise effectiveness of the procedure, sometimes fatal injuries to adjacent intrathoracic or - in case of too inferior placement - intraabdominal organs as well as haemorrhage or infections. By respecting the basic rules for safe chest decompression many of these complications should be avoidable

Emergency medical actions in firefighting operations

Background. Being called to a firefighting operation is a rare albeit typical scenario for emergency physicians, which apart from medical expertise requires efficient collaboration with the firefighting team. Aim. This article outlines the characteristics of collaboration with the team and incident commanders of the fire service and of the medical aspects in firefighting operations, whereby treating the victims of fire as well as hazards to the firefighters are considered. Method. This overview is based on a selective search of the literature and own experiences in emergency medicine and firefighting. Results. Collaboration with the fire service needs to respect the organizational and leadership structures at the scene. Firefighting staff are mainly endangered by the enormous cardiopulmonary strain of the mission, by the rapid development of fire phenomena as well as diverse kinds of accidents. The main features of fire victims are smoke intoxication, burns as well as other injuries. Choosing the right hospital for optimal treatment is crucial. Conclusion. Medical expertise and basic knowledge of methods and tactics employed by the fire service are prerequisites for successful participation as an emergency physician in a firefighting operation. An integrative view of all aspects of injuries of the fire victims and the subsequent therapeutic decisions represent special challenges, which have not yet received much attention in the medical literature

Effects of a single aerobic exercise on perfused boundary region and microvascular perfusion: a field study

The endothelium and the glycocalyx play a pivotal role in regulating microvascular function and perfusion in health and critical illness. It is unknown today, whether aerobic exercise immediately affects dimensions of the endothelial surface layer (ESL) in relation to microvascular perfusion as a physiologic adaption to increased nutritional demands. This monocentric observational study was designed to determine real-time ESL and perfusion measurements of the sublingual microcirculation using sidestream dark field imaging performed in 14 healthy subjects before and after completing a 10 km trial running distance. A novel image acquisition and analysis software automatically analysed the perfused boundary region (PBR), an inverse parameter for red blood cell (RBC) penetration of the ESL, in vessels between 5 and 25 µm diameter. Microvascular perfusion was assessed by calculating RBC filling percentage. There was no significant immediate effect of exercise on PBR and RBC filling percentage. Linear regression analysis revealed a distinct association between change of PBR and change of RBC filling percentage (regression coefficient β: − 0.026; 95% confidence interval − 0.043 to − 0.009; p = 0.006). A single aerobic exercise did not induce a change of PBR or RBC filling percentage. The endothelium of the microvasculature facilitates efficient perfusion in vessels reacting with an increased endothelial surface layer

Perioperative management of transthoracic oesophagectomies. Fundamentals of interdisciplinary care and new approaches to accelerated recovery after surgery

Locally advanced carcinomas of the oesophagus require multimodal treatment. The core element of curative therapy is transthoracic en bloc oesophagectomy, which is the standard procedure carried out in most specialized centres. Reconstruction of intestinal continuity is usually achieved with a gastric sleeve, which is anastomosed either intrathoracically or cervically to the remaining oesophagus. This thoraco-abdominal operation is associated with significant postoperative morbidity, not least because of a vast array of pre-existing illnesses in the surgical patient. For an optimal outcome, the careful interdisciplinary selection of patients, preoperative risk evaluation and conditioning are essential. The caseload of the centres correlates inversely with the complication rate. The leading surgical complication is anastomotic leakage, which is diagnosed endoscopically and usually treated with the aid of endoscopic procedures. Pulmonary infections are the most frequent non-surgical complication. Thoracic epidural anaesthesia and perfusion-orientated fluid management can reduce the rate of pulmonary complications. Patients are ventilated protecting the lungs and are extubated as early as possible. Oesophagectomies should only be performed in high-volume centres with the close cooperation of surgeons and anaesthesia/intensive care specialists. Programmes of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) hold further potential for the patient's quicker postoperative recovery. In this review article the fundamental aspects of the interdisciplinary perioperative management of transthoracic oesophagectomy are described

Effect of implementation of a trauma leader on process parameters for polytrauma treatment in the shock room of a tertiary care hospital

Background In patients up to the age of 40 years old severe trauma is the most frequent cause of death in Germany. According to the current S3 guidelines on treatment of polytrauma and the severely injured, since 2011 the presence of a shock room coordinator should be considered, who can improve the survival of patients by optimized treatment quality and times. The aim of the present study was to analyze various parameters of shock room treatment for polytraumatized patients before and after implementation of a shock room coordinator for treatment of polytrauma. Material and methods To ensure an adequate period of time between the implementation of the shock room coordinator in 2011, data from 2009 and 2012 were included for comparative purposes. All scanned protocols of shock room treatment in the period from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 and from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 were inspected and evaluated. Results In total 213 shock room treatments from 2009 and 420 from 2012 were included. The mean number of shock room treatments in 2009 was 17.8 per month and in 2012 the mean number was 35 per month. The mean number of shock room treatments was nearly doubled in comparison (p & x202f;< 0.001). The mean time for shock room treatment in 2009 was 74.8 & x202f;min and in 2012 the mean time was 69 & x202f;min and was therefore reduced by 5.8 & x202f;min (p & x202f;= 0.56). Conclusion The treatment of polytraumatized patients in the presence of a shock room coordinator and after implementation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) was neither statistically nor clinically relevantly shortened

Perioperative enhanced recovery after surgery program for Ivor Lewis esophagectomy First experiences of a high-volume center

Background and objective Transthoracic esophagectomy is generally accepted as the standard of surgical care for patients with esophageal cancer. Despite improvements in the perioperative management this surgical procedure is associated with a clinically relevant morbidity. Fast-track protocols (synonym: enhanced recovery after surgery, ERAS) are conceived to perioperatively maintain the physiological homoeostasis and thereby to accelerate postoperative rehabilitation and reduce morbidity. In this prospective observational study the initial experiences of a high-volume center with the implementation of an ERAS protocol after transthoracic esophagectomy were analyzed. Material and methods A total of 26 patients with esophageal cancer and a low index of comorbidities prior to hybrid Ivor Lewis esophagectomy were included in this study. According to an ERAS protocol all patients underwent a standardized perioperative treatment pathway aiming to discharge the patients from the inpatient treatment on postoperative day 10. The primary outcome parameter was the rate of major complications (Clavien-Dindo IIIb/IV), which was compared to a cohort of 52 non-ERAS patients. Results and conclusion The ERAS programs with the various core elements can be implemented in patients scheduled for transthoracic esophagectomy, although the organizational and personnel expenditure of this fast-track protocol is high. The length of hospital stay appears to be reduced without compromising patient safety. The limiting variable of the ERAS protocol remains the early and adequate enteral feeding load of the gastric conduit before discharge on postoperative day 10