2010 EMS World Innovation Awards

   The OxyMulti Mask from Southmedic is a truly unique multi-purpose device that bundles three products into one: a cannula, a nebulizer and a non-rebreather mask. First and foremost the OxyMulti Mask is an O₂ delivery system. Thanks to the pin and diffuser system developed by Southmedic, the OxyMulti Mask (which has no reservoir) delivers oxygen saturations that are as good or better than a non-breather mask with a reservoir. This allows you to use lower flow rates, which saves money as it extends your O₂ supply.

    Another huge perk is the cut-away areas on the OxyMulti Mask that allow patients to talk so you can actually understand what they are saying. As any veteran knows, that is not the case with a non-rebreather mask.

   The delivery range of the OxyMulti Mask is 1 to 15 lpm, with a delivered FiO₂ of 24%–80%. To raise the saturation, just turn up the flow. When you have other needs, like aerosol therapy or just high humidity, the OxiMulti Mask delivers. It's a solid, well-designed product with the thumbprint of Southmedic quality all over it. Check it out today.

   Visit www.southmedic.com; call 705/726-9383.

SSCOR S3 Oropharyngeal Evacuation Tool

   When providers first hit the streets in the early days of EMS, almost every tool they had at their disposal (of which there were few) came from either the military, the hospital world, the funeral industry or the space program. Early suction units performed marginally and were barely capable of suctioning chicken broth or water, much less half-digested pizza or chunky beef stew. When large chunks or clots became visible in the posterior pharynx, after the liquid around them was suctioned, the recommended technique was to do a finger sweep to quickly clear the area. Thanks to the S3 Oropharyngeal Evacuation Tool from SSCOR, you can keep your digits at a distance by letting the S3 do the work.

   When you pick up the S3, you have a combination suction/scoop/shovel. The angle on the scoop is close to a "hockey stick" angle, giving you excellent access and maneuverability as you work around the posterior pharynx to clear out whatever awaits. If you see liquid, just close the port and suction away. When I gave the S3 a test drive, about two dozen dried almonds had been unceremoniously jammed into the mouth of an intubation trainer. It took no more than 10 seconds to clear all but two almonds that were wedged side-by-side in the trachea. I retrieved those with Magill forceps, and it was off to the races of airway management.

   A third option for using the S3 is the congestive heart failure/acute pulmonary edema scenario. When someone with CHF/APE arrests and you lie them down to intubate, their posterior pharynx continuously foams out blood-tinged matter, much like soap suds coming out of a washing machine. Position the slider over the thumb port on the S3, place it in the deep oropharynx, and you have a sump providing continuous suction to clear things up to the point where you can visualize the necessary structures to place an endotracheal tube.

   The S3 Oropharyngeal Evacuation Tool from SSCOR is a must have for your airway tool-kit. Its design and use are elegant simplicity. Its capabilities are outstanding.

   Visit www.sscor.com; call 800/434-5211.

Speed-Sheet from Stryker

   The move from gurney to bed or bed to gurney is arguably the single most commonly executed patient move out in EMSland. It is usually accomplished with four providers, each on a corner of the draw sheet. Each provider grabs a corner of the sheet with one hand and finds a second hand-hold somewhere else on the edge of the sheet. Because of the trench-like design of most ambulance mattresses, you actually have to lift the patient up slightly before initiating the horizontal move that gets them off your gurney and onto a bed.

   Sadly, I can't tell you how many times I have seen this play out over the years. The trigger-pull event usually occurs when the patient is still slightly lifted up off the cot mattress and the provider cantilevers his lower back as he leans forward to lift the patient across. Suddenly, he gets a wide-eyed expression and says, "I think I just threw my back out." Thanks to the new Speed-Sheet from Stryker, there is no need to put your back at risk with the lift-and-transfer method ever again.