Comparison of the bleeding cricothyrotomy model to SimMan for training students and residents emergency cricothyrotomy

A cricothyroidotomy is an emergency procedurethat few emergency medicine residents see or perform duringtheir training. Therefore, there is a need for low cost, high fidelitymodels for training. In this study, we explore a new training modelfor cricothyroidotomies (the bleeding CRIC [cost-effective realisticinteractive cricothyroidotomy]) to determine if this new tasktraineris non-inferior compared to the current standard of training. Authors conducted a randomized control noninferioritystudy. There were seventeen residents and medicalstudents enrolled by convenience sample to partake in the study.The participants were randomized by block randomization to betaught how to perform a cricothyroidotomy on either the newtask trainer or the current standard task trainer and then wereasked to perform the procedure on a pig trachea model. Primaryoutcome measures were scores on a previously validated objectiveassessment tool and secondary outcomes were comfort levels andrealism scores based on pre and post survey results which wereanalyzed with ANOVA. There was found to be no statistically significant differencebetween the groups in assessment scores, time to completion, orcomfort levels pre- and post-intervention. There was a statisticallysignificant difference in that the participants gave higher realismscores in post-test analysis to the Bleeding CRIC compared to theSimMan. Both groups demonstrated that they had significantlyimproved comfort levels from baseline post-intervention. Overall, the new task trainer was rated by learnersto feel more realistic than the current standard. This studydemonstrates non-inferiority of the new task trainer and furtherstudies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to determineits true efficacy.