Alternative airway devices for use in children requiring prehospital airway management: update and case discussion.
This manuscript reviews the latest literature on alternative airways for use in children requiring prehospital airway management. Case discussions serve as a springboard for discussion of alternatives to bag-mask ventilation and endotracheal intubation for management of ventilation in infants and children in the prehospital setting. Few airway procedures have been studied with any rigor in this setting, and most of the data that are available are extrapolated from adults. Laryngeal mask airway may be the best alternative airway with the most promise to add to the armamentarium of the prehospital provider, but no controlled trial to date has been conducted.
Youngquist
Scott
S
Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90509, USA.
Gausche-Hill
Marianne
M
Burbulys
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*