Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess subjectively the performance of the pharyngeo-tracheal lumen (PTL) airway in a multi-agency, prehospital emergency medical service (EMS) environment.
Methods: Data were recorded by the EMS provider on 167 [corrected] adult patients (age range 16-92 years) in whom a PTL or endotracheal (ET) airway insertion was attempted. Analysis of variance and Fisher's Exact tests were used for statistical analysis.
Results: There were no significant differences between the PTL and ET groups, either in patient demographics or in rates of successful ventilation with either airway overall or in trauma-related versus non-trauma-related cases, male versus female patients, or volunteer versus paid EMS providers. Basic life support (BLS) providers were able to ventilate successfully with the PTL as frequently as were ALS providers using the ET tube.
Conclusions: The PTL appears to be a useful primary airway for BLS providers and for ALS providers who are called upon infrequently to manage an airway acutely. The PTL also may be used as an alternate airway for ALS providers when tracheal intubation cannot be accomplished. Further study is needed to define the effectiveness of the PTL in the management of patients with trauma-related injuries.