Objectives: The Airway Alert banner at our institution alerts physicians to patients with the potential for a difficult intubation. Difficult airway guidelines can reduce intubation complications in the operating room, but little research has been done in the emergency department (ED). We hypothesize that patients meeting criteria for the banner will have a more difficult intubation and increased complications.
Methods: Patients greater than 18 years old who presented to the ED for any complaint and required intubation were reviewed from January 2015 to January 2020 and divided into those meeting criteria for a difficult airway ("criteria cohort") and those who did not ("non-criteria cohort"). Past medical history and details of the intubation were collected.
Results: The mean number of attempts for intubation was 1.60 in the criteria cohort and 1.36 in the non-criteria cohort ( > .05). The mean grade of view was 1.73 and 1.39, respectively ( < .05). The average size of endotracheal tube was 7.50 and 7.74 in the criteria and non-criteria cohorts ( < .05). The use of adjuncts was 28.6% and 12.5%, respectively ( < .01). The average number of intubation attempts and complication rate did not differ significantly.
Conclusions: Intubations in patients meeting criteria for the banner are associated with a more difficult view, use of smaller endotracheal tube, and increased use of adjuncts, but not with a significantly higher rate of complications or attempts. Physicians should prepare with additional endotracheal tube sizes, adjuncts, and a plan for secondary strategies in these patients.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of lung disease marked by permanent damage to tissues in the lungs. Over time, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can make breathing difficult due to permanent lung damage. COPD encompasses two main conditions chronic bronchitis, where inflammation and scarring narrow the large airways, and emphysema, where the tiny air sacs in the lungs are damaged.
Background And Importance: Effective and safe procedural sedation is pivotal for the quality of care in the emergency department (ED).
Objectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety procedural sedation performed by emergency physicians in the ED setting in Italy.
Design/setting And Participants/intervention: Following a specific training of the staff and with the adoption of a standardized protocol, a registry of procedural sedations performed on adult patients in 10 Italian EDs was compiled from 2019 to 2022; the following basic data were recorded: demographic and clinical information, procedure's indication, administered drugs, predefined, and actual sedation level.
Perioperative and critical care management following penetrating thoracic trauma represents a complex challenge. Those who survive the early trauma approach and reach the hospital alive often remain in critical condition, with cardiocirculatory complications and major pulmonary injuries. Additional difficulty arises from the presence of a weapon , particularly in a dorsal location, which limits patient positioning, and the safe manipulation of both the weapon and the patient.
A 'can't intubate, can't oxygenate' (CICO) situation is an uncommon and time-critical emergency. Many institutions have adopted a 'scalpel-bougie-endotracheal tube (ETT)' technique based on evidence produced by the 4th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and 2015 Difficult Airway Society guidelines. We made a modification to the traditional 'scalpel-bougie-ETT' technique, using a shortened bougie and replacing the ETT with a cuffed Melker airway in a preassembled device (called 'Secure Airway for Front-of-neck Emergencies' (SAFE airway device)), which we felt might reduce cognitive load on a single operator in an emergency CICO situation.
