A Novel Device for Rapid and Effective Manual Ventilation during Field Rescue and Surgical Pre-oxygenation

S. Wendelken
The Roux Institute, Maine, United States

Keywords: Combat Casualty Care, Airway Management, Tactical Medical Solutions, Portable Medical Devices, Battlefield Rescue Breathing Device

Manual ventilation by bag-masking is often challenging or ineffective due to the poor seal of the mask around the patient’s face, which can lead to life-threatening hypoxia and hypercarbia. In the field, a poor mask fit can occur due to liquid, dirt, mud, protective equipment interference, and broken or missing teeth. Additionally, poor mask seal is common for patients with beards, large face, and neck diameter, requiring the use of two hands and additional personnel. “The Scorpion” device addresses the mask seal problem by utilizing a seal inside the mouth, much like a snorkel mouthpiece. The intraoral seal allows the user to rapidly establish a good seal and jaw position with one hand. A modular, nested accessory will stent open soft tissue and provide the same benefit as an oral airway. It will connect to standard hosing and bag masks and can be used with suction, laryngeal mask airways (as a tube stabilizer and bite block), and standard masks to provide tone. A prototype of the device has been developed using 3D printing and successfully demonstrated on a healthy volunteer (Figure 1). Further testing results and design iterations will be presented.