A Modern Marvel of Critical Care

The STAB room (pronounced STAYB, like stabilization!) contains 4 resuscitation bays, each with all of the equipment needed to care for any critically ill or injured patient, but also with specialized equipment for certain types of conditions (i.e. a medical bay, trauma bay, burn bay, & pediatric bay).  All STAB cases are run by Emergency Medicine residents under the supervision of EM Faculty. 

Airway

Emergency airway management is our specialty.  All intubations in the ED are performed by the Emergency Medicine resident running the case, typically a PGY-3 or a PGY-2 on their ortho/sus rotation, with EM faculty supervision. Each STAB bay has its own Emergency Airway Cart containing anything and everything one could possibly need, including: 

• Multiple HD Storz CMAC screens, which can be used for direct laryngoscopy, video laryngoscopy, nasopharyngoscopy, and bronchoscopy.
• CMAC Macintosh blades & pediatric Miller blades
• CMAC radical curve blades (d-blades, akin to “Glidescope” shaped blades)
• Adult nasopharyngoscopes, adult bronchoscopes, and pediatric bronchoscopes
• Glidescope standard and titanium Mac blades
• Direct Mac and Miller blades of any size
• Intubating LMAs (laryngeal mask airways) and multiple types of disposable LMAs
• King airways
• Airtraqs
• TTNV (trans-tracheal needle ventilation)
• Retrograde intubation kits
• Cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy kits

Procedures

Procedures in the STAB room are performed by Emergency Medicine residents, including, but not limited to:

• arterial line placement
• central line placement – triple lumen, trauma catheters, dialysis catheters, trans-venous pacing catheters, and cooling catheters
• thoracotomy, thoracostomy, and thoracentesis
• fracture/dislocation reduction and splinting
• paracentesis, lumbar puncture
• resuscitative hysterotomy
• cricothyrotomy
• lateral canthotomy
• and on, and on, and on!

Critical Care Ultrasound

Point-of-care ultrasound is used early and often in the STAB room. It is considered an essential component of emergency critical care. Each bay has a mounted touchscreen Mindray TE7s. Mobile ultrasound machines can also be moved in if multiple ultrasounds are desired concurrently (e.g. simultaneous central line and arterial line insertion). Bedside trans-esophageal echocardiography capabilities are also available and routinely used.