TissueDB/Simulators/Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulator (Kumar)
The Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination (SALAD) simulator is a low-cost airway trainer, made by modifying a commercially available Laerdal airway management trainer with locally available parts, for practising SALAD — keeping a continuously soiling airway clear by suction while intubating through it.[1] A 2-litre hand-held garden spray pump pushes coloured water — red or green, to represent blood or vomitus — up a kink-resistant PVC tube routed through the manikin's stomach and esophagus, flooding the hypopharynx and mouth with a continuous jet; a second, perforated tube drains it back out to a container. The trainee suctions the soiling airway with a wide-bore Yankauer catheter and intubates through it.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Features and Basic Operation | Low-cost, reversible modification of a commercial Laerdal airway management trainer, built from locally available equipment (medical-grade PVC tubing, a hand-held garden spray pump, zip ties, food colouring). It reproduces a continuously soiling airway at variable flow for SALAD practice; the simulated contaminant is 10 g of food colouring in 2 litres of water, red or green for blood or vomitus. The lungs are retained, so the trainer still serves ordinary airway training. |
| Current Development Status | Built and tested with learners; learner self-reported confidence only — not validated for skill transfer. |
| Estimated Build Time and Cost | Not stated in source (described as easy to install). |
| Specialized Tools and Equipment | To run the trainer: a portable suction machine with suction tubing, a wide-bore Yankauer suction catheter, tape to seal its thumb port for continuous suction, an endotracheal tube, and a laryngoscope or video-laryngoscope. The source calls for cutting drainage holes in the second PVC tube but does not name the cutting tool. |
| Version | Version 1 |
| Development Team Contact Information | Rajender Kumar (ORCID 0000-0002-5009-088X; corresponding author, drrbarua@gmail.com) and Rakesh Kumar (ORCID 0000-0002-7732-0112), Department of Critical Care and Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, Rohini, New Delhi, India. |
Tissues
| Tissue | Qty | Material | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral cavity | 1 (manikin) | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | Life-like oral cavity. |
| Hypopharynx | 1 (manikin) | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | Life-like hypopharynx. |
| Trachea | 1 (manikin) | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | Life-like laryngeal inlet, with the esophagus behind the trachea. |
| Stomach | 1 (manikin) | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | The contaminant reservoir, modified with two PVC tubes and two zip ties. Tube-B drains the stomach. The stomach is not removed from the manikin. |
| Esophagus | 1 (manikin) | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | Life-like esophagus, behind the trachea; the regurgitation path from the stomach to the hypopharynx. Tube-A delivers contaminant at the upper end of the esophagus. |
| Blood | 10 g food colouring per 2 litres of water, per fill | Red food colouring in water | — | An alternative simulated contaminant for the soiled airway. |
| Vomit | 10 g food colouring per 2 litres of water, per fill | Green food colouring in water | — | An alternative simulated contaminant for the soiled airway. |
| Lung | 1 set | Laerdal airway management trainer | — | Manikin lungs; retained in the finished trainer for ordinary airway management training. |
Structural Parts
| Part Name | Qty | Material | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laerdal airway management trainer | 1 | Commercial Laerdal airway management trainer manikin | — | The base manikin the modification is built onto; it stays usable for ordinary airway training once the lungs are replaced. |
| Delivery tube (Tube-A) | 1 length of 2 metres | Clear flexible kink-resistant medical-grade PVC tube | — | 6.0 mm inner / 8.5 mm outer diameter; supplied with Yankauer suction catheter packs. Carries pressurised contaminant from the spray pump up through the stomach and esophagus to the upper esophagus; its outer end joins the pump nozzle. |
| Drainage tube (Tube-B) | 1 length of 2 metres | Clear flexible kink-resistant medical-grade PVC tube | — | 6.0 mm inner / 8.5 mm outer diameter. Drains contaminant out of the stomach to the container; the holed end sits inside the stomach. |
| Zip ties | 2 | Standard cable ties | — | Used to secure both tubes at the distal stomach so the pressurised contaminant does not leak. |
| Garden spray pump (2-litre) | 1 | Hand-held 2-litre garden spray pump with a piston, a brass nozzle, and a pressure-release lever | — | Reusable pump; pressurises and delivers the contaminant as a continuous jet. The brass nozzle joins the delivery tube. |
| Drainage container | 1 | Any container that accepts the drained contaminant | — | Reusable container that collects the contaminant draining from the manikin. |
Build Instructions
Phase 1: Prepare the manikin substrate
- Remove the lungs of the Laerdal airway management trainer to provide access to the stomach. The source's Figure 2 (Steps 1 and 5) lifts the lungs out for access and replaces them, while the Discussion states the lungs and stomach were not removed (kept for a natural look and dual-use training). Either way the finished trainer retains its lungs.
- Open the distal end of the manikin's stomach by removing its closure clip.
Phase 2: Make and insert the two PVC tubes
- Take two 2-metre lengths of clear, kink-resistant, medical-grade PVC tube (6.0 mm inner / 8.5 mm outer diameter; these are supplied with Yankauer suction catheter packs).
- Cut five to six holes on alternate sides of the first 15 cm of one end of the second tube (Tube-B) to make the drainage tube.
- Insert the delivery tube (Tube-A) through the distal stomach and push it up the esophagus until the proximal end reaches the upper end of the esophagus.
- Insert the drainage tube (Tube-B) alongside Tube-A through the same opening; position it so that all of its holes sit inside the stomach.
- Secure both tubes at the distal stomach with two zip ties to prevent fluid leaking during pressurised delivery.
Phase 3: Connect the contaminant delivery line
- Attach the outer end of the delivery tube to the brass nozzle of the 2-litre hand-held garden spray pump.
- Fill the pump with simulated airway contaminant — 10 g of red or green food colouring in 2 litres of water, to represent blood or vomitus. Pressurise the pump by repeatedly pumping the piston. Adjust the nozzle so that pressing the release trigger delivers a continuous jet rather than a sprinkle.
Phase 4: Route the drainage line
- Lead the outer end of the drainage tube into the drainage container so the excess contaminant is collected outside the manikin.
Phase 5: Replace the manikin lungs
- Replace the lungs in their original position before using the assembled trainer.
Use the source’s low-viscosity coloured-water mixture; thicker mixtures can block the spray-pump nozzle, and delivered flow can vary between learners.[1]
For setup and operation, including sealing the Yankauer suction catheter's thumb port with tape for continuous suction, delivering the contaminant, and intubating through the soiled airway, see Kumar & Kumar 2024.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kumar R, Kumar R. An Indigenous Suction-assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulation System. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine 2024;28(7):702–705. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-24760. PMID: 38994267. PMC: PMC11234124. License: CC BY-NC 4.0.
| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Simulators/Suction-Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination Simulator (Kumar)". Appropedia. Retrieved October 3, 2026. |