Obesity, The Airway & Good Positioning

Troop Elevation Pillow

Every anesthesia provider across the country cares for obese and morbidly obese patients. Numerous studies now support that the head elevated laryngoscopy position (HELP) facilitates intubation and in general improves airway management of the obese patient. The Troop Elevation Pillow (TEP) was designed by a practicing anesthesiologist to achieve HELP quickly and consistently yields a predictable and stable result. The TEP is meant to replace a pile of unstable blankets; click here to go to Dr. Troop’s teaching web site.

If you have experience with this device, please return after you view Dr. Troop’s  web site and write a review for your colleagues.

 

6 thoughts on “Obesity, The Airway & Good Positioning”

  1. I have used the elevation pillow and it does as advertised. It puts the patient in the proper position and it is stable. I can do the same thing with regular pillows and blankets but it is less stable and I often need to adjust the position.

    1. Grade A stuff. I always like ideas for solving airway problems. I’ll give this to our supply person and try to get it ordered

  2. Good positioning is the key to airway management in the obese patient and is needed regardless of the other toys you have. I have used the EP and agree that it does a good job getting the patient in the right position. We often pull the EP out from under the patient after intubation so it can be cleaned and ready for the next use.

  3. We use the Troop elevation pillow and find that we like it. The patient is always in a good position. We did not buy the barrier cover and used sheets to cover the EP. An inspector from our recent CMS visit found a stain on one of our elevation pillows and made us throw it away. We have ordered the barrier covers for our other elevation pillows and were surprised at how inexpensive they are.

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