CMC and medical community partner to teach airway refresher
Dr. Eman Podgorny, Medical Director for the Paramedic program, and Liz Owen, Colorado Mountain College Paramedic faculty member, facilitate an Airway Workshop each year in partnership with Vail Valley Emergency Physicians. The workshop was originally created for hospital physicians and students in Colorado Mountain College’s Paramedic program. This year, the workshop was held November 14th at the new EMS Simulation lab and classrooms at CMC in Edwards.
Now open to physicians from Summit to Aspen, former paramedic students, medics from Eagle County Ambulance District (ECAD) and Western Eagle County Ambulance District (WECAD), nurses, and ski patrol from the local areas, the workshop hosts between 60 and 75 healthcare professionals each year. It is designed to refresh those professionals on proper techniques – and introduce them to new equipment and techniques as they become available.
The workshop has been an outstanding partnership for local hospital and pre-hospital based medical personnel, a partnership whose goal is to continually improve emergency care within our communities. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are granted from the workshop; the hospital now recognizes these CEU’s for their physicians. A certificate for four hours of continuing education credits that can be applied to National Registry re-certification is offered to all participants.
The workshop also offers a chance to expose students to equipment that the CMC paramedic program cannot afford to buy. Representatives from various companies attend and demonstrate their products. Several years ago, ECAD bought Glidescopes after being introduced to them at the Airway Workshop.
This year, representatives were present from King Vision, King Tube, Glidescope, and Children’s Hospital. Other stations that CMC incorporated into the workshop included:
•Capnography: State of the art and fast becoming the standard of care in the field with airway and respiratory emergencies.
•Intubation: A chance to brush up on the skills.
•Interosseous infusion and AED: A great review for doctors and medics.
•Intubation with a bougie: A technique that is becoming the standard in many ambulance services around the country. It makes a difficult airway easier to obtain.
•Surgical crichothyrotomy: Hosted by Vail’s trauma surgeon. Always a huge hit with the attendees.
•Melker needle crichothyrotomy: Another type of crichothyrotomy used in the hospital and in some ambulance systems.
•Chest tube, chest decompression: An intricate procedure which, when understood by medics, helps with procedures they perform in the field.
•Pleurovac (chest tube drainage system) : Part of the new 2012 curriculum for paramedics.
The workshop will be able to host more participants next year. It’s been a great partnership over the past seven years.
Article by Liz Owen, Faculty, Paramedic Program