Th.--Méd.--Paris, 1904-1905. / Paris, 1904-1905, t. 29, n ° 368.

Sensory input from the laryngeal mucosa is vital for triggering protective airway reflexes. The laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) is a brief vocal fold adductor reflex in response to stimulation of the laryngeal mucosa. Depressed LAR may lead to aspiration of foreign substances into the airway. Loss of laryngeal sensation has thus been considered as one of the risk factors associated with aspiration and airway complications in patients with dysphagia. Laryngeal sensation can be endoscopically tested by lightly and briefly touching a patient’s arytenoids or epiglottis with the tip of a flexible laryngoscope (the touch method). In a preliminary study, we endoscopically investigated the laryngeal sensation and swallowing ability of healthy adults and patients with dysphagia. The results indicated an association between sensory deficits as determined by the touch method and penetration/aspiration of trial boluses in both healthy adults and patients with dysphagia. However, the pressure applied to the larynx using this touch method might not be consistent, and the expected responses elicited by this method were uncertain. Study 1 of this dissertation investigated the variability in the pressure delivered by clinicians using the touch method. The study also reported on the types of various subject responses to the touches. The results revealed that there was a wide range of pressure levels exerted by examiners. This suggested the need for further research to establish the validity of this diagnostic tool. The study also showed that the LAR always occurred in response to touch in normal volunteers, suggesting that this technique may be quite sensitive at detecting sensory deficits in a person who does not exhibit an LAR in response to touch. Study 2 examined hospitalized patients with symptoms of dysphagia. The question of interest was whether an absent LAR in response to touch was associated with aspiration or pneumonia. No significant association was found between absent LAR and aspiration of food or liquid; however, a significant association was observed between absent LAR and the occurrence of pneumonia. The study indicated that the touch method has potential for predicting pneumonia in patients with swallowing problems. / 2017-11-07T00:00:00Z

Current procedures for cleaning anesthesia airway equipment have been reported to be ineffective. The potential for cross-contamination from some airway equipment to a patient has been documented in several studies. In order to prevent potential infections, it should be ascertained as to why all anesthesia providers are not using disposable laryngoscope blades. The purpose of this evidence based project is to determine the perceptions of anesthesia providers regarding the use of disposable laryngoscope blades. Their frequency of use, their evaluation of ease of use, and any complications encountered when using the disposable blade before and after an in-service program designed to increase the use of disposable blades will be determined. Once Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and written consent were obtained, anesthesia providers were asked to complete an anonymous one page questionnaire on their knowledge and practice regarding disposable laryngoscope blades. Immediately following the completion of the questionnaire, participants were given an investigator developed article to read. Participants completed the same anonymous questionnaire 3 months following the pre-intervention questionnaire. Inventory of the disposable laryngoscope blades were collected at the start of the project, at one month, and then again at three months. A total of 12 anesthesia providers participated in the evidence based practice project. An increased number of providers stated that they felt disposable laryngoscope blades were easy to use at the completion of the project and there was an increased use of disposable laryngoscope blades. At post-intervention, anesthesia providers described performance (25%) as their reason for not using the disposable laryngoscope blade which was down from the start of the project (60%). A single proportion Z-Test showed that the 23% increase in use of disposable laryngoscope blades after the intervention was statistically significant (Z=2.046, p=0.041). This evidence based project has shown that despite initial apprehension, a change in practice was evident after dissemination of the best and most recent clinical evidence regarding laryngoscope blades which should translate to improved patient outcomes.

The thesis analyzes the issue of securing the airways in special conditions. The author is a military anesthesiologist, so the special conditions in this work are understood as the situation on the battlefield. The introductory part of the thesis discusses the historical development of the view of airway management, describes the various methods of airway management and their position in "combat airway management". The research part of the thesis first explores supraglottic airway management techniques, which in today's concept of algorithms and recommendations is intended primarily for non-medical professionals and/or health professionals who do not have much experience with complex methods of airway management. The first part has shown that the use of supraglottic devices by inexperienced rescuers is safe and that it is possible to define and choose from a large number of aids that are the most suitable on the market. The second part of the research part was focused on tracheal intubation and portable video laryngoscopes. It has shown that these can improve intubation conditions even if performed by an inexperienced rescuer. The main research effort has been focused on the most critical part of airway management procedures, surgical airway access. A live large laboratory animal proved to be the...

Att hantera och etablera en säker luftväg för patienten ingår i anestesisjuksköterskans kompetensbeskrivning. Videolaryngoskop har utvecklats för att enklare ska kunna etablera en säker luftväg via intubation. Korrekt handhavande och användande av videolaryngoskop minskar riskerna för patienten och ökar patientsäkerheten.Syftet med studien var att undersöka anestesisjuksköterskors upplevelse av att intubera med videolaryngoskop. Detta är en kvalitativ studie där datainsamlingen bestod av semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio anestesisjuksköterskor. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys genomfördes vilket resulterade i fyra kategorier: Är en trygghet vid svår intubation och underlättar handledning, Gammal vana och upplevda svårigheter att handha videolaryngoskop, Kan minska skador och vara skonsammare för patienten, och Begränsatantal och avsaknad av rutiner minskar användandet. Denna studie visar att anestesisjuksköterskor upplevde att videolaryngoskop är ett bra hjälpmedel vid intubation men även vid handledning och utbildning. För att stärka patientsäkerheten behöver videolaryngoskop användas mer, vilket kan tydliggöras med uppdaterade rutiner. Författarna till denna studie menar att mer forskning inom området behövs varför anestesisjuksköterskor väljer att inte använda videolaryngoskop. / To manage and establish a patient's airway is included in the competence description for anesthesia nurses. Videolaryngoscope have been developed to make it easier to establish a safe airway by intubation. A proper handling and use of videolaryngoscopes reduces patientrisks and increases patient safety. The aim of this study was to investigate anesthesia nurses experiences of intubating with videolaryngoscope. This is a qualitative study where the data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with nine anesthesia nurses. A qualitative content analysis was made, which resulted in four categories: Is a security in case of difficultintubation and facilitates guidance, Old habits and perceived difficulties to handle, Can reduce injuries and be gentler for the patient, and Limited number and lack of routines reduces usage. This study shows that anesthesia nurses experienced that videolaryngoscopes are a good helping instrument for intubation but also for tuition and training. To strengthen patient safety, videolaryngoscopes need to be used more often, which can be clarified with updated routines. The authors of this study believe that more research in the field is needed, which is why anesthesia nurses choose not to use videolaryngoscopes.