When a young child can’t breathe, emergency responders often use a hand-operated ventilation mask to push air into the child’s lungs en route to the hospital. But using these devices optimally on a child requires precise technical skills — giving the right amount of air, pumping at the proper speed and keeping a tight seal with the patient’s face — that are difficult for emergency workers to master and maintain, given that childhood breathing emergencies are rare.
Now, WashU Medicine researchers have found that a digital device that provides instant feedback significantly improves how emergency responders use hand-operated breathing masks, providing a potentially promising solution for a high-risk situation involving children who aren’t breathing.
The study included 123 paramedics and emergency medical technicians working across five agencies in three U.S. metropolitan areas. WashU Medicine’s Joseph D. Finney, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics and the study’s first author, Jeff Siegler, MD, an associate professor of emergency medicine, and Fahd A. Ahmad, MD, a professor of pediatrics, compared the volunteers’ performance during breathing emergencies on a simulated 3-year-old mannekin with and without the feedback tool. The device attached to the mask and delivered real-time information on air amount, breathing speed and quality of mask seal.
With real-time visual alerts, responders delivered the correct amount of air for the child’s age and size on 87% of breaths, compared to just 16% without guidance. The feedback tool also improved breathing speed accuracy from 65% without feedback to nearly 89% with feedback, and helped clinicians maintain a tighter mask seal to prevent air leaks. Responders who used the feedback tool during their initial test also performed better on subsequent trials without it.
The research was published Oct. 20 in Pediatrics and suggests that integrating instant feedback devices into emergency responder training and ultimately patient care could offer a practical way to protect young patients during breathing crises.
More information about the study can be found in this video.