Takuma Sadamori

Tracheal intubation of a difficult airway using Airway Scope, Airtraq, and Macintosh laryngoscope: a comparative manikin study of inexperienced personnel.

BACKGROUND:The Airway Scope (AWS) (Pentax-AWS®, Hoya Corp., Tokyo, Japan) and the Airtraq® (ATQ) (Prodol, Vizcaya, Spain) have similarities in the novel structures of their blades. In this study, we evaluated the ease of use of the AWS and ATQ compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope (ML) by inexperienced personnel in a simulated manikin difficult airway. METHODS:Twenty-four fifth-year medical students with no previous experience in tracheal intubation participated in this study. We used an advanced patient simulator (SimMan®, Laerdal Medical, Stavanger, Norway) to simulate difficult airway scenarios including cervical spine rigidity, limited mouth opening, and pharyngeal obstruction. The sequences in selecting devices and scenarios were randomized. Success rates for tracheal intubation, and the time required for visualization of the glottis, tracheal intubation, and inflation of the lungs, and the number of optimization maneuvers and dental click sounds were analyzed. The 3 different intubation devices were tested in 4 different scenarios by 24 students. RESULTS:Both the AWS and ATQ had very high success rates of tracheal intubation compared with the ML (AWS 100%*; ATQ 98%*; and ML 89%; *P < 0.05 AWS, ATQ versus ML). The time to intubation with the AWS was significantly shorter than with the ATQ and ML (AWS 11 ± 6 seconds; ATQ 16 ± 12 seconds; and ML 16 ± 11 seconds; *P < 0.05 AWS versus ATQ, ML). The number of optimization maneuvers with the AWS was significantly lower than with the ATQ and ML. There were significantly more audible dental click sounds with the ML than with the AWS and ATQ. CONCLUSION:Both the AWS and ATQ may be suitable devices for difficult intubation by inexperienced personnel in this manikin simulated scenario. Further studies in a clinical setting are necessary to confirm these findings.

Video laryngoscopy for emergency tracheal intubation during chest compression

0300-9572/

KL-6, a Human MUC1 Mucin, as a prognostic marker for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndrome.

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Transmission of dental data on a microdotted paper-based dental chart from a digital pen – trial operations at disaster exercise sites and at a landslide disaster at Hiroshima City

BackgroundDiffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndrome is a life threatening condition with diverse etiologies. Sensitive prognostic markers for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage have not been well investigated. Serum KL-6 is a biomarker for various interstitial lung disease associated with disease activity and prognosis. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of serum KL-6 level as a prognostic marker for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.MethodsWe retrospectively collected 41 consecutive patients clinically diagnosed as having diffuse alveolar hemorrhage who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Hiroshima University Hospital between 2004 and 2011. Correlation between prognosis and age, sex, laboratory findings including serum KL-6, radiological findings, ventilatory modes or therapeutic regimens were evaluated.ResultsBaseline and peak serum KL-6 levels were significantly higher in non-survivors compared with survivors. An increase in KL-6 levels during the initial week was associated with a subsequent deterioration of the oxygenation index. Higher baseline KL-6 levels and higher peak KL-6 levels were strongly correlated with death. With a cut-off level of 700 U/mL for peak KL-6, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for non-survival were 75%, 85% and 78%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, only the peak KL-6 level ≥700 U/ml was an independent poor prognostic factor for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.ConclusionsPeak serum KL-6 level ≥700 U/ml may become a clinically useful marker of poor prognosis for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.

Airway Scope(R) for Emergency lntubations : Usefulness of a New Video-laryngoscope

ABSTRACT In Japan, dental charting following a disaster is performed by handwriting the information on a paper-based dental chart before manual input into a computer database. Even if available, radiographic facial or intraoral images, regardless of whether they are analogue or digital, must be stored separately from the dental chart. To create a comprehensive and more permanent database accessible worldwide, we developed a system employing digital pens with image microprocessors. This system digitizes and records characters and drawings as they are being handwritten on a microdotted-paper-based post-mortem dental chart. Data stored in the built-in memory of the digital pen are transferred to a computer or tablet via Bluetooth. Using a cognitive wireless router, the information is relayed to a remote data centre. Radiographic and other images are also transferred into the same folder under a unique ID number. After several practical field tests, the system was employed at a landslide disaster in Hiroshima City. Data transfer was excellent, confirming the efficacy of the new system. This system enables data in any language to be quickly stored in the database, facilitating worldwide searches for missing persons by matching with ante-mortem dental records. The new system saves labour, helps prevent misidentification, and significantly expedites identification processes following a mass disaster.