OPA and NPA use

[ptemt]

Please share your experiences as to how often you use an OPA or NPA and what percentage of each is typical in your work environment. I would like to hear from EMT-Bs and EMT-Ps, everyone, but please limit it to BLS and not choke the topic with intubation issues. Also interested in patient response. Thanks!

[Ace844]

Please share your experiences as to how often you use an OPA or NPA and what percentage of each is typical in your work environment. I would like to hear from EMT-Bs and EMT-Ps, everyone, but please limit it to BLS and not choke the topic with intubation issues. Also interested in patient response. Thanks!

"ptemt,"

Could you be abit more specific as to what you mean when you asked, "Please share your experiences as to how often you use an OPA or NPA"? Did you mean in one's career? Of all the airway's one has placed??

thanks,

Ace844

[ptemt]

"ptemt,"

Could you be abit more specific as to what you mean when you asked, "Please share your experiences as to how often you use an OPA or NPA"? Did you mean in one's career? Of all the airway's one has placed??

thanks,

Ace844

Ace844,

I'll try :mrgreen: ! I am interested in how often they are used at the BLS level on a weekly or monthly basis.

Thanks!

[Ace844]

Ace844,

I'll try :mrgreen: ! I am interested in how often they are used at the BLS level on a weekly or monthly basis.

Thanks!

"ptemt,"

I can't speak for my service as to how many they palce as a whole as I have no involvement in their QA/QI process.....

But, perhaps this will help some, of all the BLS airways I have placed in my carreer , 90% have been NPA's. in the last 6 mos....I have placed none in the pre-hospital environment...

YMMV,

Hope this helps,

Ace

[Guest]

well in less then a year of being cert as a emt-b....Ive used the OPA 3 times....I haven't used the NPA yet. First time I used the OPA was on a stroke pt...who was unconscious and needed an open airway and assisted breathing. She did well with it. The second was a semi unconscious etoh who stopped breathing on me....she took the opa well but then gaged as she retained consciousness...the 3rd was on a heart attack pt that I was on scene before ALS arrived and CPR was in progress.....I used the OPA then until ALS intubated him. The reason I chose the OPA in these situations is because it was easiest to grab and I didn't have time to lube a NPA with one hand.

[Ace844]

"ptemt,"

This was also discussed in the following other forums here, it might be worth checking them out......

EMT city

and

emt city

and here:

Emt city

hope this helps....

Ace844

[EMT001]

I do not have an exact number, but I have used more NPA's than OPA's. I am a firm believer that anyone who is unconsious, but breathing, gets an airway. More times than not, this results in me placing an NPA, for obvious reasons.

[ptemt]

Thanks all for your replies!

Ace,

I couldn't get the links to work but did do a search.

[Ace844]

Thanks all for your replies!

Ace,

I couldn't get the links to work but did do a search.

Here they are again in a diff format. I have no idea why they weren't working....I've also noticed that I have issues with the emoticons as well...Perhaps the admin can check this out...

Here are the addresses, you'll just need to cut and paste....

1.) http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1183

2.) http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...&highlight=

3.) www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=810&highlight=

[Ace844]

Here they are again in a diff format. I have no idea why they weren't working....I've also noticed that I have issues with the emoticons as well...Perhaps the admin can check this out...

Here are the addresses, you'll just need to cut and paste....

1.) http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1183

2.) http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...&highlight=

3.) www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=810&highlight=

Guess it worked that time....who knew?!?!?!?!!?