Intubation Lab

A few days ago we had a nurse come in and teach us about the Pediatric versus adult upper Airway. space this can include a larger tongue in comparison to size of mouth, floppy epiglottis, delicate teeth, gums, more Superior larynx, funnel shaped larynx due to an undeveloped cricoid cartilage, and the narrowest point at Craig word ring before 8 years old.

Some equipment that you would need to intubate is a laryngoscope, blades (curved, McIntosh, and straight, Miller), endotracheal tubes of various sizes, lubricant (malleable stylet, 10-ml syringe to inflate ET cuff, oxygen and manual bag valve mask, suction apparatus, sterile gloves and goggles, oropharyngeal airway, and a CO2 detector.

Primary confirmation by physical exams means you have to confirm tube placement immediately, listen over the epigastrium and observe the chest wall for movement, if the stomach is gurgling and there is no chest wall expansion, while the esophagus is intubated remove the ET tube.

Secondary confirmation involves the use of the end tidal CO2 detectors, a commercial device that reacts with a color change to CO2 exhaled from the lungs (MELLO YELLOW), absence of CO2, unless prolonged CPR, indicates esophageal intubation. A false positive can be caused by a distended stomach or carbonated beverages. A false negative can be caused by low or no blood flow.