Combitube Use

Combitube Use

Poli= cy:

The Combitube is an alternative airway for the Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate and Emergency Medical Technician - Parame= dic while it is the primary airway for the Emergency Medical Technician. With this in mind Catawba County Emergency Medical Services System realize that the use of the Combitube will vary from call-to-call and from agency-to-agency.

Purp= ose:

The purpose of this policy is to:

Provide quality patient care and EMS servic= es to patient encountered by Catawba County Emergency Medical Services Syste= m.
Define the use of the Combitube airway for an Emergency Medical Technician.
Define the use of the Combitube airway for an Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate and for an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic.=

Proc= edure:

1. If a patient is determined to= need advanced airway management when an Emergency Medical Technician is the high= est trained EMS technician on the scene, the= n that technician will insert the Combitube airway as per the Standards Procedure related to the Combitube.

2. The Emergency Medical Technic= ian will use his / her best judgment as to the timing of inserting the Combitube. =

· = If an Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate= or an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic unit is within a reasonable distance of the scene, the patient’s airway should be managed utilizi= ng manual methods and simple adjuncts.

· = If the patient’s airway cannot be adequately managed with manual methods and / or simple adjuncts the patient’s ai= rway should be managed utilizing the Combitube immediately.

· = If an Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate= or an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic unit is not within a reasonable distance of the scene, the patient’s airway should be managed utilizi= ng the Combitube immediately.

3. If the Combitube airway is ut= ilized prior to the arrival of an Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate or an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic, then that airway should be kept in place and utilized by the Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate or Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic unless one or more of the following criteria are met:

· = The Combitube is not adequately protecting the patient’s airway.

· = The Combitube is not allowing for adequate ventilation / oxygenation of the patient.

· = A drug route is necessary and the Combitube has b= een placed in the esophagus.

4. If the Emergency Medical Tech= nician - Intermediate or an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic determines the Combitube is not going to be utilized, then that technician should prepare = to intubate the patient around the Combitube or after removing the Combitube.<= o:p>

5. If the Combitube airway is re= moved the attending Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate or an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic must provide documentation as to why the dev= ice was removed.