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The Portex Cricothyroidotomy Kit (PCK) is designed to make cricothyroidotomies easier and safer. After the vertical skin incision, the device can be inserted in a single step. A spring-loaded locator needle with a red flag indicator is designed to prevent damage to posterior structures during insertion of the device. To determine the performance characteristics of this device, researchers randomized each of 30 first-year emergency medicine residents in Germany to perform one cricothyroidotomy using either the standard surgical approach or the PCK on a human cadaver. Cricothyroidotomy tube placement and complications were identified by anatomical dissection.
The surgical technique had a higher success rate than the PCK (100% vs. 67%). Time to…