Background: Critically ill patients often require emergency intubation. The use of etomidate as the sedative agent in this context has been challenged because it might cause a reversible adrenal insufficiency, potentially associated with increased in-hospital morbidity. We compared early and 28-day morbidity after a single dose of etomidate or ketamine used for emergency endotracheal intubation of critically ill patients.

Methods: In this randomised, controlled, single-blind trial, 655 patients who needed sedation for emergency intubation were prospectively enrolled from 12 emergency medical services or emergency departments and 65 intensive care units in France. Patients were randomly assigned by a computerised random-number generator list to receive 0.3 mg/kg of etomidate (n=328) or 2 mg/kg of ketamine (n=327) for intubation. Only the emergency physician enrolling patients was aware of group assignment. The primary endpoint was the maximum score of the sequential organ failure assessment during the first 3 days in the intensive care unit. We excluded from the analysis patients who died before reaching the hospital or those discharged from the intensive care unit before 3 days (modified intention to treat). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00440102.

Findings: 234 patients were analysed in the etomidate group and 235 in the ketamine group. The mean maximum SOFA score between the two groups did not differ significantly (10.3 [SD 3.7] for etomidate vs 9.6 [3.9] for ketamine; mean difference 0.7 [95% CI 0.0-1.4], p=0.056). Intubation conditions did not differ significantly between the two groups (median intubation difficulty score 1 [IQR 0-3] in both groups; p=0.70). The percentage of patients with adrenal insufficiency was significantly higher in the etomidate group than in the ketamine group (OR 6.7, 3.5-12.7). We recorded no serious adverse events with either study drug.

Interpretation: Our results show that ketamine is a safe and valuable alternative to etomidate for endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients, and should be considered in those with sepsis.

Funding: French Ministry of Health.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60949-1DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

ill patients
12
critically ill
12
intensive care
12
patients
9
etomidate
8
intubation
8
randomised controlled
8
emergency intubation
8
adrenal insufficiency
8
endotracheal intubation
8

Similar Publications

Background: The Modified Nutritional Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) score has been proposed as a tool to identify hospitalized patients at risk for malnutrition who may benefit from early enteral nutrition (EN) therapy.

Objective: Our goal was to determine if mNUTRIC scores could predict, at time of intensive care unit admission, which mechanically ventilated trauma patients were at risk for malnutrition and might benefit from early EN, as indicated by reduced mortality.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all adult trauma patients requiring mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours between 01/21/2012 and 12/31/2016, reviewing inpatient medical records, demographic data, disease markers, injury severity, and comorbidities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of lung imaging using 3D electrical impedance tomography (EIT) during spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) in patients with acute hypoxic respiratory failure. EIT is a noninvasive, nonionizing, real-time functional imaging technique, suitable for bedside monitoring in critically ill patients. EIT data were collected in 24 mechanically ventilated patients immediately preceding and during a SBT on two rows of 16 electrodes using a simultaneous multicurrent source EIT system for 3D imaging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

PASS: A scoring system to evaluate persistent kidney injury in critically ill ICU adult patients.

F1000Res

January 2025

Department of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 575001, India.

Background: We evaluated if the course of recovery from sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) can be predicted using variables collected at admission.

Methods: A total of 63 patients admitted for sepsis-induced AKI in our Mangalore ICU were evaluated and baseline demographic and clinical/laboratory parameters, including serum creatinine (SCr), base excess (BE), Plethysmographic Variability Index (PVI), Caval Index, R wave variability index (RVI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal resistivity index (RI) using renal doppler and need for inotropes were assessed on admission. Patients were managed as per standard protocol.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: As part of an exploratory and hypothesis-generating study, we developed the Sports Preference Questionnaire (SPOQ) to survey the athletic behavior of mentally ill children and adolescents, subjectively assessed physical fitness and perceived psychological effects of physical activity.

Methods: In a department of child and adolescent psychiatry, we classified 313 patients (6-18 years) according to their primary psychiatric diagnosis. The patients or-in the parental version of the questionnaire-their parents reported their sport preferences on the SPOQ.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!