In this study, performed with personnel of the German Armed Forces, we have shown that persons without any medical and paramedical background are able to successfully place a supraglottic airway immediately following minimal instruction and after 3 months as well. Study participants achieved the best results after practical training followed by video presentation and finally lecture regardless of the airway device used. There are two possible reasons why practical training is the superior method. Firstly, the success is tied to more time spent with the learners. Secondly, practical training seems to be the best teaching method for various types of learners such as visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic type. In addition the results of our study show that the LT-D is an ideal supraglottic airway in the hands of people inexperienced in airway management. In conclusion, our results show that practical training is the superior instruction method compared to theoretical lecture and presentation of an instruction video. Nevertheless, the presentation of an instruction video is a promising approach of teaching a maximum number of laypersons with minimal effort to correctly place supraglottic airways. To optimize the success rate of such a concept LT-Ds instead of LMAs should be used for airway management. The presented concepts hold promise for combat as well as for civilian emergency medicine.
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