The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Emergency kit to clear `airway obstruction'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 02, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Emergency kit to clear `airway obstruction'

By M. Dinesh Varma

CHENNAI, SEPT.1. An emergency kit to manage `airway obstruction' in patients has been developed by the Anaesthesiology Department of the Madras Medical College and the General Hospital.

The emergency airway management kit helps anaesthetists to keep the breathing pipe secure thereby ensuring that oxygen is supplied uninterruptedly to the patient. It has 26 components ranging from cricothyroid puncture set, Laryngal Mask Airways, oropharyngal, tracheal and nasopharyngal tubes of various types and sizes and life-saving drugs.

The airway is the passage leading from the nostrils downwards to the farthest part or the alveoli (the base of the lung). Any obstruction to this passage results in a squeeze on oxygen supply to the lung.

The kit now developed helps anaesthetists resuscitate a patient without wasting time as every conceivable device for use in an emergency in airway obstruction is available at hand. It can be kept in a trolley and moved from one place to another.

The kit is an indigenous version of the emergency cart, which is an integral feature in the casualty, operation theatre and ambulances in hospitals in the West, say doctors at the hospital.

"The kit is most useful in cases of difficult intubation, where tubes cannot be easily inserted in a patient in the emergency theatre," said R. Chandrasekaran, Professor of Anaesthesia, Madras Medical College. The kit can also be useful in elective surgeries on patients.

"Being portable, it can even be used as an emergency intervention in an accident site," said R. Lakshmi, Assistant Professor, Anaesthesia.

At present two kits each costing Rs. 20,000 have been developed. While one kit will be kept in the duty anaesthetist's room the other will be kept in the emergency theatre. The kits were donated by the faculty of the anaesthesia department.

The kits were formally released at a farewell function for Dr. Chandrasekaran, who retired from service on Tuesday. R. Santhanam, Commissioner, Revenue Administration and James Pandian, Dean, Madras Medical College were present.

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