Soiled Airway Tracheal Intubation and the Effectiveness of Decontamination by Paramedics

In more than one-in-five cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, airways are blocked by vomit and blood. Sometimes, paramedics cannot clear the airway using methods they have been taught. If the airway cannot be cleared, the patient will die. Usually, these patients will have a breathing tube placed into their windpipe (intubation), as this provides protection from vomit and blood. To do this, the paramedic needs to be able to see the entrance to the windpipe. A new method of clearing the airway called SALAD has been used in patients to help insert a breathing tube, but it is not known whether the method can help paramedics. This study will use a manikin to see if paramedics can insert a breathing tube more often on their first attempt, using SALAD.