Intubating Ebola Patients: Technical Limitations of Extensive Personal Protective Equipment

Intubating Ebola Patients: Technical Limitations of Extensive Personal Protective Equipment

Warren Wiechmann, Shannon Toohey, Cassandra Majestic, Megan Boysen-Osborn

As hospitals across the nation were preparing for thepossibility of Ebola or Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome(MERS-CoV) cases, healthcare workers underwent intricatetraining in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).An Ebola or MERS-CoV patient requiring intubation placesa healthcare worker at risk for exposure to bodily secretions.The procedure must be performed only after appropriatePPE is donned.1 Intubating while wearing PPE is yet anotherchallenge identified in caring for these patients. Manualdexterity and free movement decreases when wearing PPE,and may increase length of time to successful intubation.

2015

Ebola, personal protective equipment, Emergency medicine

DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2015.10.28779

Western Journal of Emergency Medicine

eScholarship Publishing, University of California

Medicine, Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid

EN