75 Impact of Lighting Conditions of Procedural Competence With Emergency Cricothyrotomy

Abstract

Surgical cricothyrotomy (SC) is a difficult procedure in the best of conditions with high failure rates in the battlefield environment. The difficulty of this procedure is particularly great in a low-light tactical environment where white light cannot be utilized. Traditionally, red light has been the preferred light source in such environments, but is less than ideal for medical procedures. This study examines use of Red+Green (RG) light versus Red (R) light alone.