A Bright New Idea for RES-Q-VAC Manual Suction

We’ve all been there before—dark night, patient on the ground spewing all sorts of emesis, and there you are, alone, looking for your third arm to stabilize, suction and illuminate the patient. Well the RES-Q-VAC makers have heard our cries, and now the latest RES-Q-VAC is equipped with a powerful white light LED wand mounted directly on the pump assembly to allow one-handed suction and illumination under the most adverse conditions. The light is malleable and can be adjusted for maximum view down the throat of an unconscious victim. What a great and convenient idea!

For those of you who are not familiar with the RES-Q-VAC, we’ve covered the concept in previous reports, but in short, RES-Q-VAC provides powerful manual one-handed suction with full protection from overflow and contamination. The basics are pretty straightforward: The operator grips the pistol handle of the device on one hand, holds open the mouth of the patient with the other, and guides the suction tip into the oropharynx. As the grip is squeezed, a vacuum is formed and the emesis is neatly trapped in the canister, and not running down your arm, or aerosolizing into the air.

From this description, you’ll notice that both hands are otherwise occupied, so if any additional light is needed, and you are lucky, you’ve got a pen light stuck in your mouth along with your protective mask, ouch! The LED is attached with a removable clip which can also attach to your hat, glasses or clothing for added versatility. We’ve found leaving it attached to the RES-Q-VAC is convenient and allows one-handed viewing of the entire patient with the LED light. We medics always need an extra light. (I like to joke that medics are all handicapped—we only have two arms)

The RES-Q-VAC LED Kit includes everything you need to treat all patient sizes from children to adults with both the rigid yankauer and the soft wide bore yankauer and a set of 10fr catheters. For those of you who have used these catheters in the past, you’ll be pleased to know that all the latest catheters come with a sturdy straight connector which attaches to the standard 300ml canister containing the pathogen protecting filter.

We like the RES-Q-VAC. It’s simple, functional and with the LED light, is a great product made even better.