• Fumiharu Yanagi, Yoshihiro Kinoshita, Hidenori Terasaki, Tetsuro Mitsuse, Tadashi Tanoue, Kimiaki Ezaki, Toshiyuki Yano, Michiaki Sadanaga, Yoshikazu Haratake, Jiro Takeshita, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshihiro Ikuta, and Kouichi Matsuo.
• Department of Anesthesia, Japan Labour Health and Welfare Organization, Kumamoto Rosai Hospital, Yatsushiro 866-8533.
• Masui. 2006 Apr 1; 55 (4): 486-7, 492-3.

BackgroundSince July 2004, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved certified paramedics to perform emergency prehospital tracheal intubation. A specialized training system in tracheal intubation has been established in Kumamoto Prefecture.MethodsThe Kumamoto Prefectural Medical Control Organization, a tracheal intubation task force was established: consisting of the departments of Anesthesiology at Kumamoto University and 11 other major hospitals, along with Kumamoto Prefecture and the 14 prefectural fire-departments. This group published the Kumamoto training guidelines and a training system for paramedics.ResultsKumamoto Prefecture appealed for support of paramedic activity on television and in newspapers as public education. The prefectural governor officially asked hospitals to train paramedics. Because 9 of the 14 fire-departments had no regional teaching hospital, trainees were matched with other hospitals by the task force. The task force published a pamphlet to inform surgical patients about tracheal intubation training and to recruit patients as practice volunteers. Anesthesiologists undertook significant roles in making arrangements to facilitate the project at their hospitals, in addition to teaching paramedics prior to surgical procedures.ConclusionsThe Medical Control Organization, Kumamoto Prefecture, anesthesiologists and emergency response personnel worked together successfully to promote the training program for clinical tracheal intubation by paramedics.

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