More Realistic Cric Training

Most EMS providers don’t do a lot of cricothyrotomies in the field. If and when the need arises, then, you better have gotten some good practice reps in your training.

Providers in Keller, TX, are getting those since the Keller Fire-Rescue Department won a Life/form Cricothyrotomy Simulator from Nasco in a recent contest. The device has vastly increased the realism of its providers’ cric practice.

“With most of your older simulators, you cut through a layer, and then you’re automatically in the trachea. That’s not realistic,” says firefighter/paramedic Bobby Goolsby. “Once you cut the skin, then you have to cut the membrane and everything around the trachea. That’s what the simulator requires. It’s a much more realistic experience.”

The Life/form simulator (LF00994U) was developed for learning and practicing the techniques of both needle and surgical cricothyrotomy procedures. It includes anatomically accurate landmarks, palpable through lifelike skin, and a hyperextended neck that lets the user determine the right incision site. The upper neck is made from a soft core material reusable for repeat trainings. The airway passes fully through from top to bottom, and its trachea is replaceable, which allows checking the stylet and obturator placement after cutting. Ties hold the obturator in place, and inflation of the simulated lung signals proper placement.

The kit comes with a base, six replaceable neck skins, six adult trachea inserts (four rigid, two soft), six child trachea inserts (four rigid, two soft), a pair of simulated lungs and a carrying case.

The providers at Goolsby’s station have been exploring the simulator’s attributes during their regular airway training; once they’ve mastered it, it’ll likely move on to the central fire HQ. “That way everybody can train on it, and we can use it in scenarios and stuff like that,” says Goolsby. “Really, it’s the closest thing to a person you can practice on.”

For more: https://www.enasco.com/product/LF00994.