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NAEMSP releases compendium of airway management best practices

The position statements summarize recommendations for training, quality management, pediatric considerations and more

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By Kerri Hatt

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The NAEMSP Standards and Clinical Practice Committee has published “The National Association of EMS Physicians Compendium of Airway Management Position Statements and Resource Documents.”

Authored by Henry E. Wang, Michael Levy and David C. Cone, the compendium seeks to fill the knowledge gap created by rapidly evolving data and the development of novel technologies to ease cognitive and psychomotor challenges associated with airway management, according to the document.

The Standards and Clinical Practice Committee has published NAEMSP position statements on best practices for key aspects of EMS care for 2 decades, including statements on airway management addressing endotracheal tube placement confirmation, rapid sequence intubation, supraglottic airway insertion and noninvasive ventilation.

The authors wrote,

The position statements and resource documents represent the association’s recommended best practices for prehospital airway management. However, we hope that medical directors, clinicians, and other stakeholders will set their sights on the broader picture. Airway management is a cornerstone of EMS care, and we must be ready to adapt clinical practices to reflect rapidly evolving knowledge in the field. With this mindset, we can achieve the larger goal of best serving our patients.

The NAEMSP solicited participation from within and outside of the standing S&P committee to ensure expertise and diversity of demographic and professional backgrounds during the 10-month period of developing the Compendium. The results encompass a range of papers summarizing recommended practices for all facets of prehospital airway management, including:

  • Training
  • Quality management
  • Techniques
  • Disease-specific considerations
  • Parallel clinical management
  • Pediatric considerations

The compendium can be downloaded here and is discussed in the NAEMSP podcast series here.

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