Advantages & Dangers of Prehospital Drug Assisted Airway Administration (DAAM)

 

Airway administration is a mandatory intervention in lots of affected person emergencies — from airway compromise to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. Nevertheless, relying on how extreme the affected person’s situation is, and the invasiveness of the intervention, airway administration usually causes destructive results to sufferers’ psychological and bodily well being. 

 

In sure prehospital situations, sufferers typically profit from Drug Assisted Airway Administration (DAAM), which may supply improved laryngoscopy for suppliers and simpler insertion of endotracheal tubes and supraglottic airways throughout intubation. 

 

To supply the best and protected therapy doable for sufferers, EMS suppliers should concentrate on DAAM’s advantages and easy methods to successfully carry out it, in addition to the numerous dangers related to it. 

 

What’s DAAM? 

 

In response to a useful resource doc from the Nationwide Affiliation of EMS Physicians, Drug Assisted Airway Administration (DAAM) refers back to the administration of sedatives alone, or together with neuromuscular blockers, to provoke superior airway placement in sufferers with compromised airways or impending respiratory failure, who can also undergo from altered psychological standing, agitation or intact protecting airway reflexes. 

 

Present variations of DAAM which can be generally utilized in scientific prehospital settings embody sedation-assisted intubation (SAI), delayed sequence intubation (DSI) and speedy sequence intubation (RSI). RSI, the commonest of the three, includes the administration of a sedative and a paralytic for endotracheal intubation in sufferers. 

 

Like many different scientific apply strategies, DAAM protocols and laws range from state to state and between regional and native emergency medical service businesses, and the selection of which DAAM variation to make use of additionally varies based mostly on affected person wants and danger/profit ratio. 

 

Situations through which DAAM could also be warranted 

 

Some emergencies which will require DAAM embody stroke, traumatic mind damage (TBI) and respiratory failure from pulmonary or cardiac illness. DAAM ought to solely be carried out in enough settings through which the correct assets and tips are in place, and ample coaching and EMS doctor oversight is offered.

 

Suppliers should fastidiously weigh the potential scientific positive factors towards the hostile dangers of DAAM.  

Regardless of a affected person’s situation, earlier than performing DAAM, EMS businesses should guarantee suppliers have undergone the thorough coaching essential to handle sufferers in compromised circumstances, together with throughout and after the potential failure of DAAM, and that they’ve the mandatory tools on-hand to manage remedy and intubate as safely and efficiently as doable. A number of the instruments and strategies essential to carry out DAAM embody bag masks air flow, supraglottic airway units and surgical airway approaches. 

 

Figuring out the dangers 

 

The extent of danger related to performing DAAM is dependent upon a number of components associated to the affected person’s profile, situation and wishes, in addition to the extent of expertise and preparedness on the a part of the suppliers. 

 

Previous to intubation, it’s crucial that suppliers conduct a bodily evaluation of the affected person to completely perceive the danger/profit ratio of performing DAAM, versus speedy sequence intubation or non-invasive air flow options. Throughout the evaluation, suppliers ought to search for any indicators that point out the potential of tough intubation, such because the presence of higher entrance tooth, historical past of adverse intubation, any Mallampati rating completely different from one or equal to 4, and a mouth opening lower than 4 centimeters. 

 

Increased dangers are additionally related to tough affected person airway traits, equivalent to extremes of airway dimension, neck immobility, restricted mouth opening, dirty airway and bleeding. 

 

Moreover, if carried out incorrectly, DAAM could cause additional challenges for airway insertion on account of a speedy and full lack of protecting airway reflexes and respiratory drive, and the potential for medicines to worsen sufferers’ current physiologic abnormalities. 

 

Making an knowledgeable determination 

 

Whereas there are numerous prehospital care situations which will warrant the usage of DAAM, like circumstances through which sufferers are experiencing compromised psychological situations or are affected by medical crises which will lead to respiratory failure, DAAM additionally poses important dangers for sufferers. 

 

It’s important that EMS suppliers are conscious of those dangers and the way they differ from affected person to affected person, and that they’re outfitted with the correct coaching and assets to mitigate dangers as a lot as doable when treating sufferers. 

 

Learn this prehospital analysis roundup from EMS World to be taught extra concerning the dangers related to prehospital DAAM.