Use of the Beck Airway Airflow Monitor (BAAM) to Discriminate Tracheal Versus Esophageal Placement of an Endotracheal Tube in Small Animal Cadavers Undergoing Chest Compressions.

BACKGROUND: Tracheal intubation to facilitate ventilation is integral during CPR. Additionally, end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) is an indispensable monitoring tool to guide chest compressions and serves as a prognostic indicator for return of spontaneous circulation. Use of ETCO2 to determine correct placement of an endotracheal tube (ETT) in CPA patients can be misleading, so it is recommended that ETCO2 measurement should not be the sole means used to confirm tracheal intubation. The Beck Airway Airflow Monitor (BAAM) has been described in people to facilitate blind nasotracheal intubation and to confirm correct ETT placement. When the BAAM is attached to an ETT, airflow through the device will emit a whistle when a human patient is endotracheally intubated and spontaneously ventilating or receiving chest compressions. The current proof-of-concept study sought to determine if the same would be true in veterinary patients.

KEY FINDINGS: In canine cadavers, use of the BAAM to determine esophageal versus tracheal intubation during chest compressions had high sensitivity and specificity, but sensitivity was poorer in feline cadavers.

SIGNIFICANCE: The BAAM may be used to confirm correct endotracheal intubation in canine patients during CPR.