CRICOID PRESSURE WITH OR WITHOUT THE "CRICOID YOKE"

The performance of cricoid pressure was studied in three groupsof medical personnel likely to be involved in its applicationusing the cricoid yoke and a test rig. The instrument enabledindividuals who had no previous experience in the applica-tionof cricoid pressure to achieve results as good as those obtainedby experienced anaesthetic staff. Furthermore, the instrumentimproved the consistency of the applied force in all groups,particularly if cricoid pressure was required for sustainedperiods of 30 s or more.