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In this episode of Inside EMS, our cohosts discuss how a lack of training feedback has led to an epidemic of providers not knowing the proper way to bag patients during ventilation, according to Kelly Grayson. He shares his new training plan for performance-focused ventilation and the tools he鈥檚 implemented to make the procedure easier to master and understand.
Top takeaways
- Over-ventilation is an issue. Many EMS providers unknowingly over-ventilate patients during resuscitation, resulting in increased intrathoracic pressure and decreased coronary perfusion.
- Smaller BVMs can prevent over-ventilation. Using large BVMs, which deliver up to 1600 milliliters of air, leads to excessive tidal volumes far beyond the average adult鈥檚 requirement of 500 milliliters. Switching to smaller-volume BVMs, such as pediatric bags for adult patients, can help prevent over-ventilation and improve patient outcomes.
- Real-time feedback improves ventilation. Devices like the provide real-time feedback on ventilation rate and volume, helping EMS providers learn proper ventilation techniques. Grayson鈥檚 workshops utilizing these tools have demonstrated immediate improvement in the ability of providers to deliver the correct amount of air to patients.
Memorable quotes
- 鈥淲hen was the last time you actually got feedback on how good you were ventilating?鈥� 鈥� Kelly Grayson
- 鈥淓verything you thought you knew about bagging is probably wrong. And if you want to improve something you have to measure it. And if you鈥檙e not measuring it, you don鈥檛 know what needs improving or not.鈥� 鈥� Kelly Grayson
- 鈥淲e鈥檙e under-ventilating the vast majority of our patients if we鈥檙e only looking at chest rise.鈥� 鈥� Kelly Grayson
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