Thursday and Friday this week were spent on airways. We started with the oral and nasal airways as adjuncts to using a bag-valve mask(BVM).  I’d learned how to use a BVM in a couple of the DAN courses (Advanced Oxygen First Aid and BLSPro).  Using an oral airway, though, makes it a lot easier.

Then, we learned how to use a laryngoscope and Magill forceps to remove foreign objects from the airway.  That rocked!  Here’s some of the cool medical equipment we get to use.

Friday, wow….advanced airways.   Esophageal-Tracheal combitubes, LMA’s, King tubes and the ever-popular endotracheal(ET) tube.  After playing with them, I can’t see why you’d use an ET tube.  It takes a lot of work and practice to use, of course they’re only a fraction of the cost of ET tubes.   Airway management can be critical for a Dive Medic.