New "Airway Emergency" 2222 call system - information for staff working at STDH site.

A new category of emergency call has been set up for activation via a 2222 call at the South Tyneside District Hospital Site.  This mirrors systems already in place at Sunderland Royal Hospital. 

In the event of an Airway Emergency please contact switchboard via 2222 and say; 

“Airway Emergency” and clearly state the patient’s specific location.   

Please ensure this information is confirmed by switchboard contact centre staff before you hang up the call. 

On receipt of an Airway Emergency call, switchboard contact centre staff will activate the Airway Emergency Team. This team consists of a Middle Grade/Registrar level Doctor from Intensive Care and a member of the Outreach Team.  This ensures that a doctor with the necessary skills to manage airway emergencies and a skilled assistant attend.  The team would also bring additional equipment that may be required.  This is stored on the Intensive Care Unit. 

This Airway Emergency team may be activated via a 2222 call in a number of circumstances: 

1.       In the event of specific airway emergency where a ward or department requires specific emergency assistance to manage a patient's airway.  Examples of this might include emergency problems with neck breathers, an unresolved choking episode or life-threatening airway swelling.  This list is not exhaustive. 

2.       The cardiac arrest/medical emergency team leader may ask the ward or department staff to put out this call in circumstances where more advanced airway help is required during a cardiac arrest or medical emergency. 

[Note that this decision would be made by the leader of the responding cardiac arrest/medical emergency team after arrival and patient assessment.  In many instances advanced airway help is not required during cardiac arrest (with use of I-gel) or in other medical emergencies.  Please be aware that intensive care doctors are no longer a part of the routine cardiac arrest response on either hospital site.] 

Please click here for a flowchart which covers both cardiac arrest / medical emergency calls as well as the new category of ‘Airway Emergency’ calls.  

Please ensure you brief staff about this in team brief/huddle/handover and forward this information to staff as required.

A member of the Resuscitation Service will be visiting clinical departments today to brief the person in charge of the department.

Paul Frear, Resuscitation Lead (ex 1212, bleep 50059) or Ashleigh Gray, Resuscitation Officer (ex 2904, bleep 50060) are happy to answer any queries you may have.