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Airway & ventilation
Italian HEMS airway equipment varies, training patchy
Airway Management Skills and Devices on Italian Helicopter Emergency Medical Service: A National Survey
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine · Added 14 May 2026
This national survey documented airway management skills and device availability across Italian HEMS services, showing variability in advanced airway training and device adoption.
- Study type
- Cross-sectional
- Design
- National cross-sectional survey of all Italian HEMS bases
- Participants
- 48 of 55 active HEMS bases (87% response)
- Main finding
- Videolaryngoscopes present at 81%, cricothyroidotomy kits at 94%, RSI medications universally available, but 77% provided no specific airway training, 44% required no minimum intubation number, and only 27% used prehospital airway guidelines. Mean airway preparedness index 25.7 ± 7.4 of 40.
- Caveat
- Self-reported survey data; Italian physician-staffed HEMS system not directly transferable to Australian paramedic practice.
- Bottom line
- Context only
Learning goal
Strengthen my judgement on maintaining prehospital advanced airway competence through structured training and clear minimum practice standards.
More
- Topic: Airway & ventilation
- Daily scan: 14 May 2026
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