Surgical airway (cricothyroidotomy). -Trained use only. An emergency cric set can be fashioned by cutting an IV drip chamber in half. Find the anatomical landmark of cricothyroid membrane below "adam's apple." Make a longitudinal incision through the skin and visualize the membrane. Take top half of cut IV drip chamber, remove cap on spike that usually goes into IV bag. Insert spike through cricothyroid membrane. If patient needed a surgical airway, there will be a rush of air. The drip chamber needs to be secured in place with 100 mph tape or tac sutures. An ambu-bag can be attached to the drip chamber and the patient ventilated.
Found this on the net, I've never heard of this method, seems ok in theory, not sure if you could move enough air through the spike on a IV drip chamber.
Anyone heard of this method before?
update: tested this a little at work today, the drip chamber does not fit a bvm, its a litle bigger, but cutting a slit in the side and over lapping it will fit, with minimal leakage.
Now breathing normally you cannot move enough air through the spike of the drip chamber, but with a BVM you can put enough air in, exhalation however, not so much. So if the pt's upper airway was not completely occluded and the pt could exhale; it could work.
I was breathing through it for about 5 mins inhaling through the spike and BVM exhaling out my nose.(not cric'ed of course)