Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 42, Issue 1 , Pages 81-87 , July 2003

Patient safety in emergency airway management and rapid sequence intubation: Metaphorical lessons from skydiving

Received 6 September 2002 ,Revised 11 December 2002 ,Accepted 16 December 2002.

References 

  1. Benumof JL, Dagg R, Benumof R. Critical hemoglobin desaturation will occur before return to an unparalyzed state following 1 mg/kg intravenous succinyl choline. Anesthesiology. 1997;87:979–982
  2. Practice guidelines for management of the difficult airway: a report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Management of the Difficult Airway. Anesthesiology. 1993;78:597–602
  3. Levitan RM. Myths and realities: the “difficult airway” and alternative airway devices in the emergency setting. Acad Emerg Med. 2001;8:829–832
  4. The Airway Site Web site. Available at http://www.theairwaysite.comNovember 18, 2002; Accessed
  5. Yentis SM. Predicting difficult intubation: worthwhile exercise or pointless ritual?. Anaesthesia. 2002;57:105–109
  6. Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Mayrent SA. Epidemiology in Medicine. In: Philadelphia, PA: : Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 1987;p. 331–342
  7. Benumof JL. Definition and incidence of the difficult airway. In:  Benumof JL editors. Airway Management: Principles and Practice. St. Louis, MO: : Mosby-Yearbook; 1996;p. 121–125
  8. Bair AE, Filbin MR, Kulkarni RG, et al.  The failed intubation attempt in the emergency department: analysis of prevalence, rescue techniques, and personnel. J Emerg Med. 2002;23:131–140
  9. Pollack CV. The laryngeal mask airway: a comprehensive review for the emergency physician. J Emerg Med. 2001;20:53–66
  10. Agro F, Frass M, Benumof JL, et al.  Current status of the Combitube: a review of the literature. J Clin Anesth. 2002;14:307–314
  11. Jackson C, Jackson CL. Bronchoscopy, Esophagoscopy and Gastroscopy: A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery. In: Philadelphia, PA: : WB Saunders Company; 1934;p. 95–105
  12. Levitan RM, Mickler T, Hollander JE. Bimanual laryngoscopy: a videographic study of external laryngeal manipulation by novice intubators. Ann Emerg Med. 2002;40:30–37
  13. Benumof JL, Cooper SD. Qualitative improvement in laryngoscopic view by optimal external laryngeal manipulation. J Clin Anesth. 1996;8:136–140
  14. Levitan RM, Mechem CC, Ochroch EA, et al.  Head-elevated laryngoscopy positioning: improving laryngeal exposure during laryngoscopy by increasing head elevation. Ann Emerg Med. 2003;41:322–330
  15. Schmitt HJ, Mang H. Head and neck elevation beyond the sniffing position improves laryngeal view in cases of difficult direct laryngoscopy. J Clin Anesth. 2002;14:335–338
  16. Hochman , Zeitels SM, Heaton JT. Analysis of the forces and position required for direct laryngoscopic exposure of the anterior vocal folds. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1999;108:715–724
  17. Stasiuk RB. Improving styletted oral tracheal intubation: rational use of the OTSU. Can J Anaesth. 2001;48:911–918
  18. Moscati R, Jehle D, Christiansen G, et al.  Endotracheal tube introducer for failed intubations: a variant of the gum elastic bougie. Ann Emerg Med. 2000;36:52–56
  19. Henderson JJ. The use of paraglossal straight blade laryngoscopy in difficult tracheal intubation. Anaesthesia. 1997;52:552–560
  20. Chan TC, Vilke GM, Bramwell KJ, et al.  Comparison of wire-guided cricothyrotomy versus standard surgical cricothyrotomy technique. J Emerg Med. 1999;17:957–962
  21. Eisenburger P, Laczika K, List M, et al.  Comparison of conventional surgical versus Seldinger technique emergency cricothyrotomy performed by inexperienced clinicians. Anesthesiology. 2000;92:687–690
  22. Van Elstraete AC, Mamie JC, Mehdaoui H. Nasotracheal intubation in patients with immobilized cervical spine: a comparison of tracheal tube cuff inflation and fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Anesth Analg. 1998;87:400–402
  23. Dhar P, Osborn I, Brimacombe J, et al.  Blind orotracheal intubation with the intubating laryngeal mask versus fibreoptic guided orotracheal intubation with the Ovassapian airway: a pilot study of awake patients. Anaesth Intensive Care. 2001;29:252–254
  24. Joo HS, Kapoor S, Rose DK, et al.  The intubating laryngeal mask airway after induction of general anesthesia versus awake fiberoptic intubation in patients with difficult airways. Anesth Analg. 2001;92:1342–1346
  25. Sanchez A, Pallares V. Retrograde intubation technique. In:  Benumof JL editors. Airway Management: Principles and Practice. St. Louis, MO: : Mosby; 1996;p. 320–341
  26. Martel M, Reardon RF, Cochrane J. Initial experience of emergency physicians using the intubating laryngeal mask airway: a case series. Acad Emerg Med. 2001;8:815–822
  27. Hartmann T, Krenn CG, Zoeggeler A, et al.  The oesophageal-tracheal Combitube Small Adult. Anaesthesia. 2000;55:670–675
  28. Yardy N, Hancox D, Strang T. A comparison of two airway aids for emergency use by unskilled personnel: the Combitube and laryngeal mask. Anaesthesia. 1999;54:181–183
  29. Chang RS, Hamilton RJ, Carter WA. Declining rate of cricothyrotomy in trauma patients with an emergency medicine residency: implications for skills training. Acad Emerg Med. 1998;5:247–251
  30. Blostein PA, Koestner AJ, Hoak S. Failed rapid sequence intubation in trauma patients: esophageal tracheal combitube is a useful adjunct. J Trauma. 1998;44:534–537
  31. Ochs M, Davis D, Hoyt D, et al.  Paramedic-performed rapid sequence intubation of patients with severe head injuries. Ann Emerg Med. 2002;40:159–167
  32. Parmet JL, Colonna-Romano P, Horrow JC, et al.  The laryngeal mask airway reliably provides rescue ventilation in cases of unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation along with difficult mask ventilation. Anesth Analg. 1998;87:661–665
  33. Benumof J. Laryngeal mask airway and the ASA difficult airway algorithm. Anesthesiology. 1996;84:686–699
  34. Ochroch EA, Eckmann DM. Clinical application of acoustic reflectometry in predicting the difficult airway. Anesth Analg. 2002;95:645–649
  35. Wenzel V, Idris AH, Montgomery WH, et al.  Rescue breathing and bag-mask ventilation. Ann Emerg Med. 2001;37:S36–S40
  36. Barnes TA, MacDonald D, Nolan J, et al.  Airway devices. Ann Emerg Med. 2001;37:S145–S151
  37. Benumof JL. Preoxygenation. Best method for both efficacy and efficiency?. Anesthesiology. 1999;91:603–605

☆ The author reports this study did not receive any outside funding or support.

☆☆ Reprints not available from the author.

PII: S0196-0644(03)00340-8

doi: 10.1067/mem.2003.254

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 42, Issue 1 , Pages 81-87 , July 2003

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution