Jeff Rehman from the North Metro Fire Rescue District has been a paramedic for over 20 years. He knows firsthand that when dealing with a blocked airway, seconds count. So, when Jeff woke up at 2:30 in the morning with an idea for a better way to safely clear a patient’s airway, he felt compelled to get out of bed and write it down.
One of the more common ways to clear a patient’s airway is to perform a finger sweep to remove the obstruction. The finger sweep is not always an effective method, and can put the paramedic in danger while their hand is in a patient’s mouth. Rehman himself lost the tip of his finger to a patient who bit down while Jeff was attempting to clear his airway.
Rehman’s idea was to create a device that could remove debris from the airway, with or without suction available. The device would allow the paramedic to safely clear out blockages with a bendable plastic scooper that could also suction and sump. This device would allow paramedics to avoid the safety concerns that come with putting their hands in a patient’s mouth.
Generally, paramedics have access to a basic suctioning device, “What we had before used to clog all the time,” said Rehman “Seeing some of the really bad outcomes in the past, I thought there had to be a better way.”
After drawing up several plans, and performing many tests using himself as the human guinea pig, Jeff began the long process of bringing his idea to the marketplace. “I was about ready to give up,” said Rehman. “The most frustrating thing was finding a company to believe in it.”
Company after company turned down his idea, until finally, SSCOR Inc., gave Jeff’s invention a shot. SSCOR Inc. has invested more than $200,000 dollars into perfecting Jeff’s design and producing the final product for sale.
The North Metro Fire Rescue District is one Colorado agency now using the device in the field. Rehman is hopeful his new tool will not only be helpful for paramedics, but will be used in hospitals and by the military as well. “I think it will be something you see in every ER and in every jump kit, maybe even worldwide,” says Rehman.
The device is referred to as the S3 Oropharyngeal Evacuation Tool, and samples of the S3 can be obtained by contacting SSCOR at http://www.sscor.com or by calling 1-800 434-5211.