An agency I'm familiar with is doing field testing with overall positive reviews. Can't be more specific, unfortunately.

We got some brief overview of them in class.

I know most of the big companies around here have either switched to them, or were switching to them in the next few months.  We had a supervisor explain to use why they are switching, but I can't quiet remember what he said.

We've had them since January and have had mixed reviews. We aren't allowed to intubated codes unless we get ROSC before the placement of a supraglottic airway and the I-gel replaced the Combi-tube which is a plus.

I've used it about a dozen times since we got them and they are based off the pt's weight, found they work best when you over estimate. I've pulled it twice in favor of an OPA, once on a hanging where we couldn't adequately ventilate and the other on an auto vs pedestrian for the same reason.

Are they easy? Yeah they are. Would rather have the King tube as our back up but even more so I wish we'd  go back to intubating codes.

Per our protocol we don't intubate codes, supraglottic airway or OPA/BVM only. It was put in a few years ago when our protocols we're dumbed down and written for those that were poor medics instead of advancing the service IMO.

We can RSI or DAI as we now call it the crap out of a medical or trauma patient but heaven forbid they lose a pulse. I agree with it in the fact that it keeps people from being off the chest too long while trying to get the tube but at the same time we don't get the practice and muscle memory by intubating the easy ones for when the difficult ones come along.

I would like to see at least the stipulation that we can intubate if the supraglottic airway is ineffective, hopefully that will be in the January update.

We carry the Glidescopes, iGel's, and bougies..

 

We use the Zoll autopulse, so I always drop a tube just after placing an left ej line. I can do both before the first rhythm check 99% of the time.

No glidescopes or bogies here

We were supposed to get a Lucas 2 on our truck since I guess the stats show we run more cardiac arrests than any other truck in the County, but that was over a year ago.

You should not be off the chest at all for intubation.  We get all our tubes with active compressions going.  There is zero reason to not intubate during arrest if you are not interrupting compressions.  Also, studies have shown that airways like the combitube apply pressure to the arteries from the inside and reduce cerebral blood flow.  Kind of a bad idea in arrest.  

We are currently using the air-Q as our "rescue airway" if it is a BLS crew or we can't get a tube (doesn't happen often).

our code protocol goes like this.... first identify the pulseless pt and begin cpr/place pt on autopulse. second IO to tibial plateau or humoral - simultaneously with the EMT-basic placing a king airway and beginning ventilations with capno. if the king airway proves to be ineffective, we go to intubation.

You must be Lake or Polk. We had the same protocol until the medical director that put that into play left for another county. I haven't heard of anyone else not intubating codes.

Yup, work for Lakeland under Polk County protocols.

I used to work in a different county and we intubated codes, as had been said there wasn't a reason to stop compressions and I never did, but apparently it was enough of a problem to take it from us.