Where to intubate cadavers?

[281mustang]

Anyone know of any places to intubate cadavers that don't require a partnership with a school?

The only thing close to it I've been able to find is the SLAM course or Jon Puryear's cadaver lab, neither of which seem to be available at the moment.

Someplace in or near Texas would be prefered. Thanks!

 

[usalsfyre]

If you find one let me know. Not something that's available to most due to a limited number of cadavers

 

[Christopher]

Dr. Levitan's airway course in Baltimore runs every month but January and is a 1:1 student/cadaver lab. You'll use just about any and every airway tool, plus you'll be receiving instruction from the guy who's writing the book on direct laryngoscopy.

You'll be in a class with mostly docs and anesthesiologists, but paramedics are certainly welcome! (Plus you may meet influential docs, Dr. Cliff Reid of resus.me was in my class)

 

[281mustang]

If you find one let me know. Not something that's available to most due to a limited number of cadavers

I've heard something about a flight company in Dallas that allows (or used to) students to intubate cadavers? Do you know anything about that?

From what I've heard from people it was pretty cheap to boot.

 

[usalsfyre]

Careflite still has cadaver labs for their employees but I doubt they're open to anyone. A cadaver is an expensive, limited supply training tool.

 

[281mustang]

Dr. Levitan's airway course in Baltimore runs every month but January and is a 1:1 student/cadaver lab. You'll use just about any and every airway tool, plus you'll be receiving instruction from the guy who's writing the book on direct laryngoscopy.

You'll be in a class with mostly docs and anesthesiologists, but paramedics are certainly welcome! (Plus you may meet influential docs, Dr. Cliff Reid of resus.me was in my class)

Awesome, thanks man! Are you sure Medics are welcome? From the description it doesn't seem to mention anyone other than Med students

You attended the course I assume? How much was it and what kind of practice were you able to get?

 

[NomadicMedic]

I took the ShockTrauma advanced airway lab, which is half class room, half cadaver lab. It's usually a closed course, but they open it to everyone every year around JEMS.

If you can get in, I highly recommend it.

 

[281mustang]

Careflite still has cadaver labs for their employees but I doubt they're open to anyone. A cadaver is an expensive, limited supply training tool.

Hmm. The people I talked to that knew others that attended the program said it was done relatively recently but the company was planning on limiting it soley to their employees.

I doubt I'll get any where but I'll send them an e-mail, if nothing else just to see if that know of any others in TX.

 

[Christopher]

Awesome, thanks man! Are you sure Medics are welcome? From the description it doesn't seem to mention anyone other than Med students

You attended the course I assume? How much was it and what kind of practice were you able to get?

I was the lone medic in a class of mostly ED docs (mix of residents and attendings), plus some anesthesiologists, and a pack of helicopter EMS docs from Australia (Dr. Reid's group).

One of the lab assistants is actually a medic, so you're in good company.

Day 1 is lecture, but it's eye opening. Fluoroscopic looks at different airway techniques and their impact on airway positioning (like jaw thrust vs head tilt) or ear-to-sternal notch vs A-O extension. A lot of emphasis on proper mechanics of tube delivery and the how's and why's, plus a great lecture on RSI and medicating to handle an airway.

Day 2 is all cadaver lab, practicing what you've learned on day 1 rotating through about 15-20 cadavers (we had 18 I think). You'll use Mac's, miller's, fibreoptics, supraglottic airways, glidescopes, mcgraths, et al. At the end of the lab you get some instruction on proper surgical airways and then practice on your own cadaver.

It's ~$1,800 including your hotel and travel, but I've yet to get training like that elsewhere. You'll be putting a tube through a real glottis every few minutes.

Better than that though, you'll leave having adopted a successful step-wise approach to intubation validated on real tissue.

 

[medicsb]

Unfortunately, most cadavers are enbalmed with formaldehyde, which turns the flesh tough and leathery. There is no intubating them as the tongue becomes extremely tough and the jaw is minimally mobile.

I believe places that do intubation on cadavers use a different method for preservation or use fresh, un-embalmed cadavers. I think Dr. Levitan's cadaver are infused with some sort of alcohol which maintains the tissue plasticity much better than formaldehyde. As far as I know, medical schools usually do the embalming themselves and receive bodies within 48 hours of death. My school receives about 2-4 per month (they're stored for up to 3 years). With short notice, one could practice intubation prior to embalming, but I don't know of any places that do this.

 

[NomadicMedic]

The cadavers I intubated had been frozen and thawed just prior to the lab.