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Critical Care Airway Emergency Course

This is a half-day course run by the critical care education team designed to improve the knowledge, skills, team working and confidence in the event you are faced with an airway emergency in critical care at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
 
Given the complexity of the topic and time constraints of the afternoon some knowledge is required prior to attending the course. Having digested the pre course information the course should serve to cover the following areas
  • Provide an overview of emergency airway management in critical care
    • Rapid sequence intubation
    • Familiarisation with pre-intubation check lists
    • Difficult Airway Society (DAW) guidance for difficult and failed rapid sequence intubation
    • Orientation to the difficult airway trolley and emergency airway equipment
    • Practical workshop – surgical front of neck access for oxygenation
    • Team based critical care simulation scenario involving difficulties encountered during rapid sequence intubation.
  • Tracheostomy Emergencies
    • Pre course information reading provided
      • Basic overview of tracheostomy care (Intensive Care Society tracheostomy guidelines 2014 are a easy to read guide detailing the indications, types and complications of tracheostomies. This will not be revisited during the course)
      • National tracheostomy safety project guidelines for emergency management of the displaced or obstructed tracheostomy
    • Overview of the different types of tracheostomy
    • Recognition of the blocked or displaced tracheostomy
    • Capnography interpretation
    • Revision of the management of tracheostomy emergencies
    • Team based critical care simulation scenario involving a tracheostomy emergency​

Pre course preparation

Here is a checklist of reading to guide the level of understanding required prior to attendance (click for a link to the document)

Essential reading
  • 2015 DAW guidelines for use in theatre and ED, and the latest 2018 DAW guidelines for ICU
  • National tracheostomy patient safety guidelines 
  • If you have limited experience of rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in critical care then read the attached review article on RSI
 
Optional reading includes:
  • BJA DAW article to supplement the 2015 DAW guidelines
  • Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine invasive procedures intubation safety check list that has been modified locally 
  • NAP 4 – National audit project assessing at airway complications in theatre, ED & ICU
  • Intensive Care Society Tracheostomy standards and guidelines for the care of a patient with a temporary tracheostomy
  • NCEPOD: On the right Trach? – National audit of tracheostomy care in the UK
  • Cochrane review – Timing of tracheostomy in critical care
  • Editorial article about surgical front of neck access for oxygenation (BMJ)
  • SBAR communication


When and where?

Sunderland Royal Hospital
Integrated Critical Care Unit (ICCU)

Meet in the ICCU coffee room 

Please be changed into scrubs promptly for a 1330 start to allow the day to close by 1730



​Candidate feedback


"Overall well structured and presented at a level suitable for all grades" - CCOT nurse

"Need to get more people trained" - Band 5 ICCU nurse

"I enjoyed this course. gained knowledge and confidence" - Band 5 ICCU nurse

"Enjoyed this course. Would recommend it to my colleagues. Thank you" - CCOT nurse

"Well worth attending- thank you​" - Band 6 ICCU nurse

"Great course. Very enjoyable. Lectures interesting and Simulation excellent" - CCOT nurse

"Definitely recommend. Very important to learn about the life saving skills" - ST3-4 Anaesthesia

"Excellent and well conceived course!" - ST1-2 Acute Care Common Stem  

"Well organised, pitched at the right level for participants and appropriate to my learning needs - thanks!" - ST1-2 Acute Care Common Stem

"Very helpful and friendly faculty with constructive feedback" - ST1-2 Anaesthesia

"A brilliant course. I now feel much more comfortable with tracheostomies. Even just knowing the first few steps of the algorithm could be key when covering back of house as a junior doctor and I think this information should be distributed to all junior doctors at the trust" - Foundation doctor

"Really good course prior to starting to ICU" - ST1-2 Anaesthesia

"Great course, would definitely recommend to others!" - ST5-7 Anaesthesia


Contact 

Dr Laura O’Connor
Critical Care Emergency Airway Course Director
SRH Anaesthesia and Critical Care Consultant
Laura.o’connor5@nhs.net


If you are unable to attend the course please email me at laura.o’connor5@nhs.net ASAP to allow me to reallocate the place to those on the waiting list.

This site is written for healthcare professionals.  Nothing on it constitutes medical advice, and opinions expressed are those of the authors.

​Dr Peter Hersey & Dr Laura O'Connor
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