But ultimately, nurses/EMTs/medical students can be trained to do all this in a few days. If someone’s competent and confident and has adequate back-up in-case of issues.
I think we might want to be in the world where we train a substantial fraction of the recently unemployed, or the National Guard, or whoever to do this, which requires starting from a lower point than nurses/EMTs/medical students.
There’s a big difference between the process of intubation and maintaining a patient once intubated.
Someone with no prior knowledge of anatomy and physiology intubating patients (even after intense training) would increase the risks to patients. A mistake could be fatal. Time is a crucial factor—less than 4 minutes to correct an issue (brain needing oxygen).
Sedation/paralytic drugs need to be given. Dangerous in themselves. (an old saying re intravenous anaesthetics—dead easy, easily dead)
Adequate supervision/ back-up would be essential.
Aptitude of the trainee would also be very important. No room for getting stressed. 1st rule emergency medicine—breathe.
Better for the more experienced to intubate and then training people on ventilator management / how to squeeze a bag at the right pressure and timing (when ventilators aren’t available).
I think we might want to be in the world where we train a substantial fraction of the recently unemployed, or the National Guard, or whoever to do this, which requires starting from a lower point than nurses/EMTs/medical students.
There’s a big difference between the process of intubation and maintaining a patient once intubated.
Someone with no prior knowledge of anatomy and physiology intubating patients (even after intense training) would increase the risks to patients. A mistake could be fatal. Time is a crucial factor—less than 4 minutes to correct an issue (brain needing oxygen).
Sedation/paralytic drugs need to be given. Dangerous in themselves. (an old saying re intravenous anaesthetics—dead easy, easily dead)
Adequate supervision/ back-up would be essential.
Aptitude of the trainee would also be very important. No room for getting stressed. 1st rule emergency medicine—breathe.
Better for the more experienced to intubate and then training people on ventilator management / how to squeeze a bag at the right pressure and timing (when ventilators aren’t available).
Tracheal intubation in the ICU: Life saving or life threatening?