Med School Exam Question

res1cue

res1cue

Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
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So today was the final exam of my Anatomy course, and one of the questions was, "You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. You happen to have a pocket knife and need to establish an emergency airway, which structure must you cut though?"

Pretty cool, felt like sharing :thumbup:

(It's cricothyroid ligament btw)
 
Fixed it: :D

"You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. Being a knife geek, you happen to have three pocket knives on you and need to establish an emergency airway, which knife do you choose?"
 
:D lol!

EDC 3 knives, will choose the thinned Navy k631!
6171963018_ff0d04555d.jpg

6171963016_e144b52eec.jpg
 
Last edited:
Groove said:
Fixed it: :D

"You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. Being a knife geek, you happen to have three pocket knives on you and need to establish an emergency airway, which knife do you choose?"
Click to expand...

You just made the question WAY harder...

To be honest, SAK would probably be best suited..
 
Groove said:
Fixed it: :D

"You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. Being a knife geek, you happen to have three pocket knives on you and need to establish an emergency airway, which knife do you choose?"
Click to expand...

Oh, that's easy. Smatchet.

See Fig. 118:

fairbairn-47.gif
 
Read a story a while back about similar episode where doctor used a knife to open the hole and the barrel of a Bic pen to keep the hole open. Nice to know atrained mind doesn't necessarily need the perfect tool to save alife or do other things that need to be done.
 
res1cue said:
So today was the final exam of my Anatomy course, and one of the questions was, "You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. You happen to have a pocket knife and need to establish an emergency airway, which structure must you cut though?"

Pretty cool, felt like sharing :thumbup:

(It's cricothyroid ligament btw)
Click to expand...

I was going to say his pocket...to get his epi pen. ;)
 
I don't know if you could breathe through a Bic pen on a tracheomety? Maybe ya could. I know it's tough breathing through a snorkel under duress. keepem sharp
 
(It's cricothyroid ligament btw) I always recommend a patch rather than a plug. JK.

I’ve been getting into Al Mar Knives lately and I bet the Al Mar Eagle would be a good get it to Bic pen tube size. I dunno' I just hope none of you guys ever have to require one.

Seriously though, Isn't where you’re supposed to put the hole just above the where your chest meets the neck?
 
I thought you were supposed to pierce where the dip in the neck (right below the throat/windpipe, I don't know the terminology). Might be useful to know where to pierce if I need to.
 
Groove said:
Fixed it: :D

"You are at a picnic, and one of the people there starts choking, and coughs up food and a wasp. He starts going into anaphylactic shock and his airway closes up completely. Being a knife geek, you happen to have three pocket knives on you and need to establish an emergency airway, which knife do you choose?"
Click to expand...
Haha, well played! :D
 
I bit into a sandwich at a park a couple years ago and took in a Yellow Jacket. It got me in the upper palate just in front of the throat.

If you've never been stung in the mouth before, I can assure you it's a weird feeling. :eek:

Fortunately, I don't react badly to stings but it freaked me out pretty good until I saw what it was when I spit the bite out :D
 
Cold Kill said:
I thought you were supposed to pierce where the dip in the neck (right below the throat/windpipe, I don't know the terminology). Might be useful to know where to pierce if I need to.
Click to expand...

Sometimes people go lower for a tracheostomy, but it is more complicated due to the thyroid ima artery and inferior thyroid veins there that can bleed like crazy.

Reeek, that must have been a hell of an experience!
 
You should post a utube video of that procedure so that we will all know the proper throat cutting tecnique.I suppose its important to not be too hasty.( :
 
Cold Kill said:
I thought you were supposed to pierce where the dip in the neck (right below the throat/windpipe, I don't know the terminology). Might be useful to know where to pierce if I need to.
Click to expand...

please, please never even think about trying this unless you have some serious medical training.
 
FWIW, I have been an EMT for over 4 yrs, and an ER technician for another 3 yrs full time. I have seen it done a grand total of.......... once.

It was pretty badass though
 
I was interning at the hospital earlier today and got to see an emergency tracheostomy and it was pretty crazy.
 
I saw Jon Voight do it with my own eyes.

Heck, the guy in one of the Saw movies didn't even need a knife, just the pen. Saw that with my own eyes, too.

:)

- OS
 
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