Spotlight on Research

Abstract

This paper examines advanced airway management techniques provided by tactical emergency medical services (TEMS). Twelve medical flight-crew personnel and 19 emergency medicine residents participated. Wearing a ballistic vest and helmet, they crawled towards a manikin lying behind a barrier (eight feet long and 12 inches high) before performing each technique. The primary outcome measure was time to successful ventilation; secondary outcomes included the number of attempts before successful ventilation, and the maximum height that the practitioner was visible above the barricade.