Suction First: Dr. DuCanto on the SALAD Technique for the Contaminated Airway and What Comes Next

The contaminated airway is one of the most unforgiving calls in prehospital medicine. Blood, vomit, debris — your laryngoscope goes in and you're blind. For decades, paramedics managed this with tools designed for a clean OR and training that never got close to the real thing. Dr. Jim DuCanto decided that was unacceptable. He's the anesthesiologist who invented the DuCanto catheter and SALAD (Suction Assisted Laryngoscopy and Airway Decontamination). Will Berry sat down with Dr. DuCanto at the FASTCAN conference for a conversation. In this episode we cover: - The SALAD technique, step by step - Why paramedic OR training should default to video laryngoscopy - The downsides of SALAD that Dr. DuCanto himself will tell you about - What a new portable suction device does differently Guest: Dr. Jim DuCanto anesthesiologist, inventor of the DuCanto catheter and the SALAD technique   Want more? Also subscribe to The Confidence Dispatch — Our free weekly newsletter for paramedics who want to get 1% better every shift: → https://loudandclear.kit.com/d45b012fae   Want to go even further? The Loud & Clear Fellowship is a year-long course and coaching community for medics who want to close the gap between what school taught them and what the job actually demands.  Not a lecture series. Not another CE you'll forget by your next shift. Real frameworks for clinical reasoning and mental performance — the stuff nobody teaches you in school. If that sounds like what you've been looking for, book a free 30-minute call and we'll talk about whether it's the right fit: → emspodcast.com/free-coaching-call American Burn Association / ABLS: Enter the ABLS giveaway by June 30, 2026; the winner will be selected July 1, 2026. Loud & Clear listeners also get 10% off ABLS Now through August 31, 2026. Details: https://bit.ly/aba-loud-clear