‘Airway Emergency’ 2222 Call system South Tyneside

A new category of emergency call has been set up via a 2222 call at South Tyneside District Hospital.

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 state the patient’s specific location.

Please make sure this is confirmed by switchboard before you hang up.

On receipt of an Airway Emergency call, switchboard will activate the Airway Emergency Team.

This team is a Middle Grade/Registrar level Doctor from Intensive Care and a member of the Outreach Team.

This means a doctor with the necessary skills to manage airway emergencies and a skilled assistant will attend.

The team will also bring other equipment that may be needed.

This will be from the Intensive Care Unit.

This Airway Emergency team may be activated via a 2222 call:

1. In the event of specific airway emergency where a ward or department needs specific emergency help to manage a patient's airway. Examples include emergency problems with neck breathers. They may have 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 when more advanced help is needed. This may be during a cardiac arrest or medical emergency.

Note: this decision will be made by the leader of the responding cardiac arrest/medical emergency team. It will be after arrival and patient assessment.

In many instances advanced airway help is not needed during cardiac arrest (with use of I-gel) or in other medical emergencies.

Intensive care doctors are no longer a part of the routine cardiac arrest response at Sunderland Royal or South Tyneside.

Please see the flowchart which covers both cardiac arrest/medical emergency calls. It also includes the new category of ‘Airway Emergency’ calls.

Please tell staff about this in team brief, huddle or handover. Forward this information as needed.

For further information please contact:

Paul Frear, Resuscitation Service Lead (ext 1212, bleep 50059)

Ashleigh Gray, Resuscitation Officer (ext 2904, bleep 50060).

Return to Resuscitation Service