Emergency intubation for acutely ill and injured patients

[Airwaymangement in Emergencies]

Emergency airway management is a rare but essential emergency medical intervention directly impacting morbidity and mortality of emergency patients. The success of airway management depends on various factors such as patient anatomy, environmental aspects and the provider performing the procedure. Therefore, the use of a clearly structured algorithm for anticipating the difficult airway in emergency situations is strongly recommended. Our article explains different ways of securing the airway as part of a structured algorithm as well as pitfalls and helpful tips.

Efficacy of tracheal tube introducers and stylets for endotracheal intubation in the prehospital setting: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Tracheal tube introducers and stylets remain some of the most widely used devices for aiding practitioners in performing endotracheal intubation (ETI). The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of tracheal tube introducers and stylets for ETI in the prehospital setting.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on the 2nd of March 2021 across PubMed, Embase (Ovid) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to identify relevant studies. Included studies had their data extracted and both a quality assessment and statistical analysis were performed.

RESULTS

The summary estimate of prehospital studies with video technology showed a statistically significant increase in first pass ETI success in favour of bougies (RR 1.15, CI 1.10-1.21, p < 0.0001). The summary estimates of prehospital studies without video technology and simulation studies with and without video technology showed no statistical difference between methods for first pass or overall ETI success. Some of the highest success rates were recorded by devices that incorporated video technology. Stylets lead to a shorter time to ETI while bougies were easier to use. Neither device was associated with a higher rate of ETI complications than the other.

CONCLUSION

Both tracheal tube introducers and stylets function as efficacious aids to intubation in the prehospital environment. Where video technology is available, bougies could offer a statistically significant advantage in terms of first pass ETI success. Where video technology is unavailable, a combination of clinical scenario, practitioner expertise and personal preference might ultimately guide the choice of device.

Seasonal variation in incidence and outcomes of out of hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective national observational study in the United States

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a leading cause of mortality among adults in the United States. Environmental impact on incidence and outcomes of OHCA has not been fully investigated in recent years. Previous studies showed a possible increase in incidence and mortality in winter season and during seasons with temperature extremes. This study examines seasonal variation in incidence and outcomes of OHCA in the United States.Retrospective study of adult OHCA using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample was carried out. Monthly incidence rate per 100,000 ED presentations was calculated. Survival rates for each month of admission were examined by hospital region. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the effect of the season and month of admission on survival.A total of 122,870 adult OHCA cases presented to emergency departments (EDs) in 2014 and were included. Average incidence of OHCA cases was 147 per 100,000 ED presentations. Overall survival rate in the study population was 5.6% (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 5.4%-5.9%). Patients had an average age of 65.5 (95% CI: 65.3-65.7) years and were mainly men (61.8%). Rates of OHCA presentations were highest during December and January (9.9% and 10.0%) while survival rates were lowest during December (4.6%) and highest in June (6.9%). Regional variation in OHCA outcomes was also noted with highest average survival rate in West (7.8%) and lowest in South (4.3%). After adjusting for confounders including region of hospital, Summer season (Ref: all other seasons), and more specifically month of June (Ref: all other months) were found to be positively associated with survival (OR 1.27, 95% CI [1.07-1.52], P-value = .008) and (OR 1.43, 95% CI [1.08-1.89], P-value = .012 respectively).Incidence and outcomes of out of hospital cardiac arrest presentations to the emergency departments in the United States have seasonal variation. Both incidence and mortality of OHCA increase during colder months, and survival is significantly higher in summer season or in June. Exploring how to use this variation to improve outcomes through refresher training of medical providers or through other mitigation plans is needed.

Endotracheal Intubation Success Rate in an Urban, Supervised, Resident-Staffed Emergency Mobile System: An 11-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Objectives: In the prehospital setting, endotracheal intubation (ETI) is sometimes required to secure a patient’s airways. Emergency ETI in the field can be particularly challenging, and success rates differ widely depending on the provider’s training, background, and experience. Our aim was to evaluate the ETI success rate in a resident-staffed and specialist-physician-supervised emergency prehospital system. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on data extracted from the Geneva University Hospitals’ institutional database. In this city, the prehospital emergency response system has three levels of expertise: the first is an advanced life-support ambulance staffed by two paramedics, the second is a mobile unit staffed by an advanced paramedic and a resident physician, and the third is a senior emergency physician acting as a supervisor, who can be dispatched either as backup for the resident physician or when a regular Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation unit (Service Mobile d’Urgence et de Réanimation, SMUR) is not available. For this study, records of all adult patients taken care of by a second- and/or third-level prehospital medical team between 2008 and 2018 were screened for intubation attempts. The primary outcome was the success rate of the ETI attempts. The secondary outcomes were the number of ETI attempts, the rate of ETI success at the first attempt, and the rate of ETIs performed by a supervisor. Results: A total of 3275 patients were included in the study, 55.1% of whom were in cardiac arrest. The overall ETI success rate was 96.8%, with 74.4% success at the first attempt. Supervisors oversaw 1167 ETI procedures onsite (35.6%) and performed the ETI themselves in only 488 cases (14.9%). Conclusion: A resident-staffed and specialist-physician-supervised urban emergency prehospital system can reach ETI success rates similar to those reported for a specialist-staffed system.

Study on the effect of a cold environment on the quality of three video laryngoscopes: McGrath MAC, GlideScope Ranger, and Pentax Airway Scope

Objective

Several environmental factors influence the prehospital use of video laryngoscopes (VLs). For example, fogging of the VL lens can occur in cold environments, and the low temperature can cause the VLs to malfunction. As relevant research on the effect of environment on VLs is lacking, we aimed to study the effect of a cold environment on three commonly used VLs.

Methods

McGrath MAC, Pentax Airway Scope (AWS), and GlideScope Ranger were exposed to temperatures of -5°C, -10°C, -20°C, and -25°C for 1 hour each and then applied to a manikin in a thermohydrostat room 5 times. Immediately after turning on the power and inserting the blade, the time until an appropriate glottic image appeared on the screen was measured.

Results

McGrath MAC was able to accomplish immediate intubation regardless of the temperature drop. However, GlideScope Ranger required an average of 4.9 seconds (-5°C to -20°C) and 10.1 seconds (-25°C) until appropriate images were obtained for intubation. AWS showed adequate image acquisition immediately after blade insertion despite slight fogging at -20°C, but at -25°C, images suitable for intubation did not appear on the screen for an average of 4.7 minutes.

Conclusion

All three devices appear to be usable without any limitations up to -20°C. However, GlideScope Ranger and AWS may not produce images immediately at temperatures below -25°C. Thus, medical practitioners performing VL in a cold environment should be aware of the characteristics of the VL devices in advance.

A comparison of airway management devices in simulated entrapment-trauma: a prospective manikin study

INTRODUCTION

In the patient entrapped after a motor vehicle collision (MVC), advanced airway management may need to be performed before extrication. The aim of this study was to compare four airway management devices utilized by paramedics in a simulated entrapped patient.

METHODS

Twenty-six paramedics performed advanced airway management on a manikin seated in the driver's seat (right side) of a car. Access was through the opened door only. The airway devices were the Macintosh laryngoscope and the Airtraq optical laryngoscope to facilitate the endotracheal intubation (ETI), the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) Supreme and the laryngeal tube (LT). Time to first successful ventilation and number of attempts required for successful placement were measured. Following each placement, participants rated the degree of difficulty. For ETI, participants ranked the achieved glottic view using Cormack-Lehane grades (CLG). Finally, participants were asked which airway management device they preferred.

RESULTS

The LMA Supreme had the shortest mean time to first successful ventilation (16.7 s, CI [0.95] 14.9-18.6). Insertion of the LMA Supreme and ETI with the Macintosh laryngoscope had 100% first-attempt success. The LMA Supreme was rated least difficult to insert (mean score 1.7/10 (CI [0.95] 1.2-2.1)). Compared to the Macintosh, the Airtraq laryngoscope facilitated superior laryngoscopy (CLG I view 46.2% and 80.8%, respectively). Most participants (10/26; 38%) chose the Macintosh laryngoscope as their preferred technique, followed closely by the LMA Supreme (9/26; 35%).

CONCLUSION

The LMA Supreme took the least amount of time and was the easiest to be inserted. Extraglottic airway devices may be beneficial alternative airway management devices to be considered by paramedics in the entrapped patient. Endotracheal intubation using the Macintosh laryngoscope was performed competently by participating paramedics. The Airtraq enabled superior laryngoscopy but resulted in poorer first-pass success rate.

An original design of remote robot-assisted intubation system

The success rate of pre-hospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) by paramedics is lower than physicians. We aimed to establish a remote robot-assisted intubation system (RRAIS) and expected it to improve success rate of pre-hospital ETI. To test the robot’s feasibility, 20 pigs were intubated by direct laryngoscope or the robot system. Intubation time, success rate, airway complications were recorded during the experiment. The animal experiment showed that participants achieved a higher success rate in absolute numbers by the robot system. In summary, we have successfully developed a remote robot-assisted intubation system. It is promising for RRAIS to improve the success rate of pre-hospital ETI and change the current rescue model.

A tale of two cities: prehospital intubation with or without paralysing agents for traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND

The role of prehospital endotracheal intubation (PETI) for traumatic brain injury is unclear. In Victoria, paramedics use rapid sequence induction (RSI) drugs to facilitate PETI, while in New South Wales (NSW) they do not have access to paralysing agents. We hypothesized that RSI would both increase PETI rates and improve mortality.

METHODS

Retrospective comparison of adult primary admissions (Glasgow Coma Scale <9 and abbreviated injury scale head and neck >2) to either Victorian or NSW trauma centre, which were compared with univariate and logistic regression analysis to estimate odds ratio for mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-two Victorian and 91 NSW patients did not differ in: demographics (males: 77% versus 79%; P = 0.7 and age: 34 (18-88) versus 33 (18-85); P = 0.7), Glasgow Coma Scale (3 (3-8) versus 5 (3-8); P = 0.07), and injury severity score (38 (26-75) versus 35 (18-75); P = 0.09), prehospital hypotension (15.4% versus 11.7%; P = 0.5) and desaturation (14.6% versus 17.5%; P = 0.5). Victorians had higher abbreviated injury scale head and neck (5 (4-5) versus 5 (3-6); P = 0.04) and more often successful PETI (85% versus 22%; P < 0.05). On logistic regression analysis, mortality did not differ among groups (31.7% versus 26.3%; P = 0.34; OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.38-1.86; P = 0.67). Among survivors, Victorians had longer stay in ICU (364 (231-486) versus 144 (60-336) h), a difference that persisted on gamma regression (effect = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.30-1.92; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Paramedics using RSI to obtain PETI in patients with traumatic brain injury had a higher success rate. This increase in successful PETI rate was not associated with an improvement in either mortality rate or ICU length of stay.

Effect of Bag-Mask Ventilation vs Endotracheal Intubation During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiorespiratory Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Bag-mask ventilation (BMV) is a less complex technique than endotracheal intubation (ETI) for airway management during the advanced cardiac life support phase of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest. It has been reported as superior in terms of survival.

OBJECTIVES

To assess noninferiority of BMV vs ETI for advanced airway management with regard to survival with favorable neurological function at day 28.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS

Multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing BMV with ETI in 2043 patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest in France and Belgium. Enrollment occurred from March 9, 2015, to January 2, 2017, and follow-up ended January 26, 2017.

INTERVENTION

Participants were randomized to initial airway management with BMV (n = 1020) or ETI (n = 1023).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was favorable neurological outcome at 28 days defined as cerebral performance category 1 or 2. A noninferiority margin of 1% was chosen. Secondary end points included rate of survival to hospital admission, rate of survival at day 28, rate of return of spontaneous circulation, and ETI and BMV difficulty or failure.

RESULTS

Among 2043 patients who were randomized (mean age, 64.7 years; 665 women [32%]), 2040 (99.8%) completed the trial. In the intention-to-treat population, favorable functional survival at day 28 was 44 of 1018 patients (4.3%) in the BMV group and 43 of 1022 patients (4.2%) in the ETI group (difference, 0.11% [1-sided 97.5% CI, -1.64% to infinity]; P for noninferiority = .11). Survival to hospital admission (294/1018 [28.9%] in the BMV group vs 333/1022 [32.6%] in the ETI group; difference, -3.7% [95% CI, -7.7% to 0.3%]) and global survival at day 28 (55/1018 [5.4%] in the BMV group vs 54/1022 [5.3%] in the ETI group; difference, 0.1% [95% CI, -1.8% to 2.1%]) were not significantly different. Complications included difficult airway management (186/1027 [18.1%] in the BMV group vs 134/996 [13.4%] in the ETI group; difference, 4.7% [95% CI, 1.5% to 7.9%]; P = .004), failure (69/1028 [6.7%] in the BMV group vs 21/996 [2.1%] in the ETI group; difference, 4.6% [95% CI, 2.8% to 6.4%]; P < .001), and regurgitation of gastric content (156/1027 [15.2%] in the BMV group vs 75/999 [7.5%] in the ETI group; difference, 7.7% [95% CI, 4.9% to 10.4%]; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients with out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest, the use of BMV compared with ETI failed to demonstrate noninferiority or inferiority for survival with favorable 28-day neurological function, an inconclusive result. A determination of equivalence or superiority between these techniques requires further research.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02327026.

Semiprone position is superior to supine position for paediatric endotracheal intubation during massive regurgitation, a randomized crossover simulation trial

BACKGROUND

Endotracheal intubation of patients with massive regurgitation represents a challenge in emergency airway management. Gastric contents tend to block suction catheters, and few treatment alternatives exist. Based on a technique that was successfully applied in our district, we wanted to examine if endotracheal intubation would be easier and quicker to perform when the patient is turned over to a semiprone position, as compared to the supine position.

METHODS

In a randomized crossover simulation trial, a child manikin with on-going regurgitation was intubated both in the supine and semiprone positions. Endpoints were experienced difficulty with the procedure and time to intubation, as well as visually confirmed intubation and first-pass success rate.

RESULTS

Intubation in the semiprone position was significantly easier and faster compared to the supine position; the median experienced difficulty on a visual analogue scale was 27 and 65, respectively (p = 0.004), and the median time to intubation was 26 and 45 s, respectively (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in frequency of visually confirmed intubation (16 and 18, p = 0.490) of first-pass success rate (17 and 18, p = 1.000).

CONCLUSION

In this experiment, endotracheal intubation during massive regurgitation with the patient in the semiprone position was significantly easier and quicker to perform than in the supine position. Endotracheal intubation in the semiprone position can provide a quick rescue method in situations where airway management is hindered by massive regurgitation, and it represents a possible supplement to current airway management training.

Bypassing nearest hospital for more distant neuroscience care in head-injured adults with suspected traumatic brain injury: findings of the head injury transportation straight to neurosurgery (HITS-NS) pilot cluster randomised trial

OBJECTIVE

Reconfiguration of trauma services, with direct transport of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to specialist neuroscience centres (SNCs)-bypassing non-specialist acute hospitals (NSAHs), could improve outcomes. However, delays in stabilisation of airway, breathing and circulation (ABC) may worsen outcomes when compared with selective secondary transfer from nearest NSAH to SNC. We conducted a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the feasibility and plausibility of bypassing suspected patients with TBI -directly into SNCs-producing a measurable effect.

SETTING

Two English Ambulance Services.

PARTICIPANTS

74 clusters (ambulance stations) were randomised within pairs after matching for important characteristics. Clusters enrolled head-injured adults-injured nearest to an NSAH-with internationally accepted TBI risk factors and stable ABC. We excluded participants attended by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services or who were injured more than 1 hour by road from nearest SNC.

INTERVENTIONS

Intervention cluster participants were transported directly to an SNC bypassing nearest NSAH; control cluster participants were transported to nearest NSAH with selective secondary transfer to SNC.

OUTCOMES

Trial recruitment rate (target n=700 per annum) and percentage with TBI on CT scan (target 80%) were the primary feasibility outcomes. 30-day mortality, 6-month Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale and quality of life were secondary outcomes.

RESULTS

56 ambulance station clusters recruited 293 patients in 12 months. The trial arms were similar in terms of age, conscious level and injury severity. Less than 25% of recruited patients had TBI on CT (n=70) with 7% (n=20) requiring neurosurgery. Complete case analysis showed similar 30-day mortality in the two trial arms (control=8.8 (2.7-14.0)% vs intervention=9.4(2.3-14.0)%).

CONCLUSION

Bypassing patients with suspected TBI to SNCs gives an overtriage (false positive) ratio of 13:1 for neurosurgical intervention and 4:1 for TBI. A measurable effect from a full trial of early neuroscience care following bypass is therefore unlikely.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN68087745.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing mortality in pre-hospital tracheal intubation to emergency department intubation in trauma patients

Background

Pre-hospital endotracheal intubation is frequently used for trauma patients in many emergency medical systems. Despite a wide range of publications in the field, it is debated whether the intervention is associated with a favourable outcome, when compared to more conservative airway measures.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted to identify interventional and observational studies where the mortality rates of adult trauma patients undergoing pre-hospital endotracheal intubation were compared to those undergoing emergency department intubation.

Results

Twenty-one studies examining 35,838 patients were included. The median mortality rate in patients undergoing pre-hospital intubation was 48% (range 8–94%), compared to 29% (range 6–67%) in patients undergoing intubation in the emergency department. Odds ratios were in favour of emergency department intubation both in crude and adjusted mortality, with 2.56 (95% CI: 2.06, 3.18) and 2.59 (95% CI: 1.97, 3.39), respectively. The overall quality of evidence is very low. Twelve of the twenty-one studies found a significantly higher mortality rate after pre-hospital intubation, seven found no significant differences, one found a positive effect, and for one study an analysis of the mortality rate was beyond the scope of the article.

Conclusions

The rationale for wide and unspecific indications for pre-hospital intubation seems to lack support in the literature, despite several publications involving a relatively large number of patients. Pre-hospital intubation is a complex intervention where guidelines and research findings should be approached cautiously. The association between pre-hospital intubation and a higher mortality rate does not necessarily contradict the importance of the intervention, but it does call for a thorough investigation by clinicians and researchers into possible causes for this finding.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-017-1787-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In-hospital airway management training for non-anesthesiologist EMS physicians: a descriptive quality control study

Background

Pre-hospital airway management is a major challenge for emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. Despite convincing evidence that the rescuer’s qualifications determine efficacy of tracheal intubation, in-hospital airway management training is not mandatory in Austria, and often neglected. Thus we sought to prove that airway management competence of EMS physicians can be established and maintained by a tailored training program.

Methods

In this descriptive quality control study we retrospectively evaluated all in- and pre-hospital airway cases managed by EMS physicians who underwent a structured in-hospital training program in anesthesia at General Hospital Wiener Neustadt. Data was obtained from electronic anesthesia and EMS documentation systems.

Results

From 2006 to 2016, 32 EMS physicians with 3-year post-graduate education, but without any prior experience in anesthesia were trained. Airway management proficiency was imparted in three steps: initial training, followed by an ongoing practice schedule in the operating room (OR). Median and interquartile range of number of in-hospital tracheal intubations (TIs) vs. use of supra-glottic airway devices (SGA) were 33.5 (27.5–42.5) vs. 19.0 (15.0–27.0) during initial training; 62.0 (41.8–86.5) vs. 33.5 (18.0–54.5) during the first, and 64.0 (34.5–93.8) vs. 27 (12.5–56.0) during the second year. Pre-hospitaly, every physician performed 9.0 (5.0–14.8) TIs vs. 0.0 (0.0–0.0) SGA cases during the first, and 9.0 (7.0–13.8) TIs vs. 0.0 (0.0–0.3) SGA during the second year. Use of an SGA was mandatory when TI failed after the second attempt, thus accounting for a total of 33 cases. In 8 cases, both TI and SGA failed, but bag mask ventilation was successfully performed. No critical events related to airway management were noted and overall success rate for TI with a max of 2 attempts was 95.3%.

Discussion

Number of TIs per EMS physician is low in the pre-hospital setting. A training concept that assures an additional 60+ TIs per year appears to minimize failure rates. Thus, a fixed amount of working days in anesthesia seems crucial to maintain proficiency.

Conclusions

In-hospital training programs are mandatory for non-anesthetist EMS physicians to gain competence in airway management and emergency anesthesia.Our results might be helpful when discussing the need for regulation and financing with the authorities.

Assessment of Paramedic Performance on Difficult Airway Simulation

Objective: Airway management is a common, important intervention for critically ill patients in the United States. A key element of prehospital airway management is endotracheal intubation (ETI). Prehospital ETI success rates have been shown to be as low as 77% compared to in-hospital rates of 95%. Given these rates, the use of backup airway devices is a necessary precaution for patient safety. The extent to which paramedics integrate backup airway use into their airway algorithm is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess paramedic comprehensive airway management practices during a difficult airway simulation through which paramedics were obligated to consider alternatives to ETI. Methods: This was an observational study of airway management skills in active paramedics (N = 198). A difficult airway simulation was conducted in a mobile simulation laboratory; a Type 3 ambulance with four video cameras including an endotracheal view to capture airway management. Recordings of paramedic performance were assessed using a 110-item checklist covering four key areas: 1) placement of an endotracheal tube; 2) application of backup airway following failed ETI; 3) ventilation of the patient; and 4) achievement of airway safety and quality measures. Results: Paramedics were highly trained with 12 years (IQR: 4-20) of advanced life support experience and a median of 40 prehospital intubations over their careers (IQR: 15-100). In this difficult airway setting, first pass ETI success rate was 55.6%. However, paramedics were challenged with airway management following a failed ETI. Only 9% of providers were prepared with a clear backup plan. Sixty-three percent of the paramedics successfully placed a backup airway within 3 attempts. During the simulation, only 14% properly ventilated at a rate of 10-12 breaths/min. Ventilations were maintained without interruptions (>30 sec) in 22% of simulations. Conclusion: In a difficult airway management scenario designed for low ETI success rates, even experienced paramedics were challenged with comprehensive airway management. This was exemplified by difficulties with the use of backup airway devices. Future work needs to be directed at identifying the key determinants for airway management success and the development of interventions to improve success with the use of a comprehensive airway management plan.

The Head Injury Transportation Straight to Neurosurgery (HITS-NS) randomised trial: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Reconfiguration of trauma services, with direct transport of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients to neuroscience centres (NCs), bypassing non-specialist acute hospitals (NSAHs), could potentially improve outcomes. However, delays in stabilisation of airway, breathing and circulation (ABC) and the difficulties in reliably identifying TBI at scene may make this practice deleterious compared with selective secondary transfer from nearest NSAH to NC. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and systematic reviews suggested equipoise and poor-quality evidence - with regard to 'early neurosurgery' in this cohort - which we sought to address.

METHODS

Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of bypass to NC conducted in two ambulance services with the ambulance station (n = 74) as unit of cluster [Lancashire/Cumbria in the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS)]. Adult patients with signs of isolated TBI [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of < 13 in NWAS, GCS score of < 14 in NEAS] and stable ABC, injured nearest to a NSAH were transported either to that hospital (control clusters) or bypassed to the nearest NC (intervention clusters).

PRIMARY OUTCOMES

recruitment rate, protocol compliance, selection bias as a result of non-compliance, accuracy of paramedic TBI identification (overtriage of study inclusion criteria) and pathway acceptability to patients, families and staff. 'Open-label' secondary outcomes: 30-day mortality, 6-month Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions.

RESULTS

Overall, 56 clusters recruited 293 (169 intervention, 124 control) patients in 12 months, demonstrating cluster randomised pre-hospital trials as viable for heath service evaluations. Overall compliance was 62%, but 90% was achieved in the control arm and when face-to-face paramedic training was possible. Non-compliance appeared to be driven by proximity of the nearest hospital and perceptions of injury severity and so occurred more frequently in the intervention arm, in which the perceived time to the NC was greater and severity of injury was lower. Fewer than 25% of recruited patients had TBI on computed tomography scan (n = 70), with 7% (n = 20) requiring neurosurgery (craniotomy, craniectomy or intracranial pressure monitoring) but a further 18 requiring admission to an intensive care unit. An intention-to-treat analysis revealed the two trial arms to be equivalent in terms of age, GCS and severity of injury. No significant 30-day mortality differences were found (8.8% vs. 9.1/%; p > 0.05) in the 273 (159/113) patients with data available. There were no apparent differences in staff and patient preferences for either pathway, with satisfaction high with both. Very low responses to invitations to consent for follow-up in the large number of mild head injury-enrolled patients meant that only 20% of patients had 6-month outcomes. The trial-based economic evaluation could not focus on early neurosurgery because of these low numbers but instead investigated the comparative cost-effectiveness of bypass compared with selective secondary transfer for eligible patients at the scene of injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Current NHS England practice of bypassing patients with suspected TBI to neuroscience centres gives overtriage ratios of 13 : 1 for neurosurgery and 4 : 1 for TBI. This important finding makes studying the impact of bypass to facilitate early neurosurgery not plausible using this study design. Future research should explore an efficient comparative effectiveness design for evaluating 'early neurosurgery through bypass' and address the challenge of reliable TBI diagnosis at the scene of injury.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN68087745.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 20, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Scandinavian SSAI clinical practice guideline on pre-hospital airway management

Background

The Scandinavian society of anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine task force on pre‐hospital airway management was asked to formulate recommendations following standards for trustworthy clinical practice guidelines.

Methods

The literature was systematically reviewed and the grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) system was applied to move from evidence to recommendations.

Results

We recommend that all emergency medical service (EMS) providers consider to: apply basic airway manoeuvres and airway adjuncts (good practice recommendation); turn unconscious non‐trauma patients into the recovery position when advanced airway management is unavailable (good practice recommendation); turn unconscious trauma patients to the lateral trauma position while maintaining spinal alignment when advanced airway management is unavailable [strong recommendation, low quality of evidence (QoE)]. We suggest that intermediately trained providers use a supraglottic airway device (SAD) or basic airway manoeuvres on patients in cardiac arrest (weak recommendation, low QoE). We recommend that advanced trained providers consider using an SAD in selected indications or as a rescue device after failed endotracheal intubation (ETI) (good practice recommendation). We recommend that ETI should only be performed by advanced trained providers (strong recommendation, low QoE). We suggest that videolaryngoscopy is considered for ETI when direct laryngoscopy fails or is expected to be difficult (weak recommendation, low QoE). We suggest that advanced trained providers apply cricothyroidotomy in ‘cannot intubate, cannot ventilate’ situations (weak recommendation, low QoE).

Conclusion

This guideline for pre‐hospital airway management includes a combination of techniques applied in a stepwise fashion appropriate to patient clinical status and provider training.

Bonfils intubation fibrescope: use in simulation-based intubation training for medical students in comparison to MacIntosh laryngoscope

Background

A variety of instruments are used to perform airway management by tracheal intubation. In this study, we compared the MacIntosh balde (MB) laryngoscope with the Bonfils intubation fibrescope as intubation techniques. The aim of this study was to identify the technique (MB or Bonfils) that would allow students in their last year of medical school to perform tracheal intubation faster and with a higher success probability. Data were collected from 150 participants using an airway simulator [‘Laerdal Airway Management Trainer’ (Laerdal Medical AS, Stavanger, Norway)]. The participants were randomly assigned to a sequence of techniques to use. Four consecutive intubation ‘trials’ were performed with each technique. These trials were evaluated for differences in the following categories: the ‘time to successful ventilation‘, ‘success probability’ within 90 s,’time to visualisation’ of the vocal cords (glottis), and ‘quality of visualisation’ according to the Cormack and Lehane score (C&L, grade 1–4). The primary endpoint was the ‘time to successful ventilation‘in the fourth and final trial.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference in the ‘time to successful ventilation’ between the two techniques in trial 4 (‘time to successful ventilation’: median: MB: 16 s, Bonfils: 14 s, p = 0.244). However, the ‘success probability’ within 90 s was higher when using a Macintosh blade than when using a Bonfils (95 vs. 87 %). The glottis could be better visualised when using a Bonfils (C&L score of 1 (best view): MB: 41 %, Bonfils: 93 %), but visualisation was achieved more rapidly when using a Macintosh blade (median: ‘time to visualisation’: MB: 6 s, Bonfils: 8 s, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

The time to ventilation using the MacIntosh blade and Bonfils mainly did to differ, however success probabilities and time to visualisation primary favoured the MacIntosh blade as intubation technique, although the Bonfils seem to have a steeper learning curve. The Bonfils is still a promising intubation technique and might be easier to learn as the MB, at least in a manikin.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-016-1937-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Outcomes of Basic Versus Advanced Life Support for Out-of-Hospital Medical Emergencies

BACKGROUND

Most Medicare patients seeking emergency medical transport are treated by ambulance providers trained in advanced life support (ALS). Evidence supporting the superiority of ALS over basic life support (BLS) is limited, but some studies suggest ALS may harm patients.

OBJECTIVE

To compare outcomes after ALS and BLS in out-of-hospital medical emergencies.

DESIGN

Observational study with adjustment for propensity score weights and instrumental variable analyses based on county-level variations in ALS use.

SETTING

Traditional Medicare.

PATIENTS

20% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries from nonrural counties between 2006 and 2011 with major trauma, stroke, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or respiratory failure.

MEASUREMENTS

Neurologic functioning and survival to 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, and 2 years.

RESULTS

Except in cases of AMI, patients showed superior unadjusted outcomes with BLS despite being older and having more comorbidities. In propensity score analyses, survival to 90 days among patients with trauma, stroke, and respiratory failure was higher with BLS than ALS (6.1 percentage points [95% CI, 5.4 to 6.8 percentage points] for trauma; 7.0 percentage points [CI, 6.2 to 7.7 percentage points] for stroke; and 3.7 percentage points [CI, 2.5 to 4.8 percentage points] for respiratory failure). Patients with AMI did not exhibit differences in survival at 30 days but had better survival at 90 days with ALS (1.0 percentage point [CI, 0.1 to 1.9 percentage points]). Neurologic functioning favored BLS for all diagnoses. Results from instrumental variable analyses were broadly consistent with propensity score analyses for trauma and stroke, showed no survival differences between BLS and ALS for respiratory failure, and showed better survival at all time points with BLS than ALS for patients with AMI.

LIMITATION

Only Medicare beneficiaries from nonrural counties were studied.

CONCLUSION

Advanced life support is associated with substantially higher mortality for several acute medical emergencies than BLS.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

National Science Foundation, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and National Institutes of Health.

Randomization methods in emergency setting trials: a descriptive review

BACKGROUND

Quasi-randomization might expedite recruitment into trials in emergency care settings but may also introduce selection bias.

METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Library and other databases for systematic reviews of interventions in emergency medicine or urgent care settings. We assessed selection bias (baseline imbalances) in prognostic indicators between treatment groups in trials using true randomization versus trials using quasi-randomization.

RESULTS

Seven reviews contained 16 trials that used true randomization and 11 that used quasi-randomization. Baseline group imbalance was identified in four trials using true randomization (25%) and in two quasi-randomized trials (18%). Of the four truly randomized trials with imbalance, three concealed treatment allocation adequately. Clinical heterogeneity and poor reporting limited the assessment of trial recruitment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

We did not find strong or consistent evidence that quasi-randomization is associated with selection bias more often than true randomization. High risk of bias judgements for quasi-randomized emergency studies should therefore not be assumed in systematic reviews. Clinical heterogeneity across trials within reviews, coupled with limited availability of relevant trial accrual data, meant it was not possible to adequately explore the possibility that true randomization might result in slower trial recruitment rates, or the recruitment of less representative populations.

Anaesthetist-provided pre-hospital advanced airway management in children: a descriptive study

Background

Pre-hospital advanced airway management has been named one of the top-five research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care. Few studies have been made on paediatric pre-hospital advanced airway management.

The aim of this study was to investigate pre-hospital endotracheal intubation success rate in children, first-pass success rates and complications related to pre-hospital advanced airway management in patients younger than 16 years of age treated by pre-hospital critical care teams in the Central Denmark Region (1.3 million inhabitants).

Methods

A prospective descriptive study based on data collected from eight anaesthetist-staffed pre-hospital critical care teams between February 1st 2011 and November 1st 2012.

Primary endpoints were 1) pre-hospital endotracheal intubation success rate in children 2) pre-hospital endotracheal intubation first-pass success rate in children and 3) complications related to prehospital advanced airway management in children.

Results

The pre-hospital critical care anaesthetists attempted endotracheal intubation in 25 children, 13 of which were less than 2 years old.

In one patient, a neonate (600 g birth weight), endotracheal intubation failed. The patient was managed by uneventful bag-mask ventilation. All other 24 children had their tracheas successfully intubated by the pre-hospital critical care anaesthetists resulting in a pre-hospital endotracheal intubation success rate of 96 %.

Overall first pass success-rate was 75 %. In the group of patients younger than 2 years old, first pass success-rate was 54 %.

The total rate of airway management related complications such as vomiting, aspiration, accidental intubation of the oesophagus or right main stem bronchus, hypoxia (oxygen saturation < 90 %) or bradycardia (according to age) was 20 % in children younger than 16 years of age and 38 % in children younger than 2 years of age. No deaths, cardiac arrests or severe bradycardia (heart rate <60) occurred in relation to pre-hospital advanced airway management.

Conclusion

Compared with the total population of patients receiving pre-hospital advanced airway management in our system, the overall success rate following pre-hospital endotracheal intubations in children is acceptable but the first-pass success rate is low. The complication rates in the paediatric population are higher than in our pre-hospital advanced airway management patient population as a whole. This illustrates that young children may represent a substantial pre-hospital airway management challenge even for experienced pre-hospital critical care anaesthetists. This may influence future training and quality insurance initiatives in paediatric pre-hospital advanced airway management.

Airway management by physician-staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Services - a prospective, multicentre, observational study of 2,327 patients

Background

Despite numerous studies on prehospital airway management, results are difficult to compare due to inconsistent or heterogeneous data. The objective of this study was to assess advanced airway management from international physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical services.

Methods

We collected airway data from 21 helicopter emergency medical services in Australia, England, Finland, Hungary, Norway and Switzerland over a 12-month period. A uniform Utstein-style airway template was used for collecting data.

Results

The participating services attended 14,703 patients on primary missions during the study period, and 2,327 (16 %) required advanced prehospital airway interventions. Of these, tracheal intubation was attempted in 92 % of the cases. The rest were managed with supraglottic airway devices (5 %), bag-valve-mask ventilation (2 %) or continuous positive airway pressure (0.2 %). Intubation failure rates were 14.5 % (first-attempt) and 1.2 % (overall). Cardiac arrest patients showed significantly higher first-attempt intubation failure rates (odds ratio: 2.0; 95 % CI: 1.5-2.6; p < 0.001) compared to non-cardiac arrest patients. Complications were recorded in 13 %, with recognised oesophageal intubation being the most frequent (25 % of all patients with complications). For non-cardiac arrest patients, important risk predictors for first-attempt failure were patient age (a non-linear association) and administration of sedatives (reduced failure risk). The patient’s sex, provider’s intubation experience, trauma type (patient category), indication for airway intervention and use of neuromuscular blocking agents were not risk factors for first-attempt intubation failure.

Conclusions

Advanced airway management in physician-staffed prehospital services was performed frequently, with high intubation success rates and low complication rates overall. However, cardiac arrest patients showed significantly higher first-attempt failure rates compared to non-cardiac arrest patients. All failed intubations were handled successfully with a rescue device or surgical airway.

Trial registration

Study registration: www.clinicaltrials.govNCT01502111. Registered 22 December 2011.

Patient safety in ambulance services: a scoping review

Background

The role of ambulance services has changed dramatically over the last few decades with the introduction of paramedics able to provide life-saving interventions, thanks to sophisticated equipment and treatments available. The number of 999 calls continues to increase, with adverse events theoretically possible with each one. Most patient safety research is based on hospital data, but little is known concerning patient safety when using ambulance services, when things can be very different. There is an urgent need to characterise the evidence base for patient safety in NHS ambulance services.

Objective

To identify and map available evidence relating to patient safety when using ambulance services.

Design

Mixed-methods design including systematic review and review of ambulance service documentation, with areas for future research prioritised using a Delphi process.

Setting and participants

Ambulance services, their staff and service users in UK.

Data sources

A wide range of data sources were explored. Multiple databases, reference lists from key papers and citations, Google and the NHS Confederation website were searched, and experts contacted to ensure that new data were included in the review. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, Science Direct, Emerald, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), NHS Evidence, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED),Health Technology Assessment, the FADE library, Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH), OpenDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories) and Open System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (OpenSIGLE) and Zetoc (The British Library's Electronic Table of Contents) were searched from 1 January 1980 to 12 October 2011. Publicly available documents and issues identified by National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) and coroners’ reports were considered. Opinions and perceptions of senior managers, ambulance staff and service users were solicited.

Review methods

Data were extracted from annual reports using two-stage thematic analysis, data from quality accounts were collated with safety priorities tabulated and considered using thematic analysis, NPSA incident report data were collated and displayed comparatively using descriptive statistics, claims reported to NHSLA were analysed to identify number and cost of claims from mistakes and/or poor service, and summaries of coroners’ reports were assessed using thematic analysis to identify underlying safety issues. The depth of analysis is limited by the remit of a scoping exercise and availability of data.

Results

We identified studies exploring different aspects of safety, which were of variable quality and with little evidence to support activities currently undertaken by ambulance services. Adequately powered studies are required to address issues of patient safety in this service, and it appeared that national priorities were what determined safety activities, rather than patient need. There was inconsistency of information on attitudes and approaches to patient safety, exacerbated by a lack of common terminology.

Conclusion

Patient safety needs to become a more prominent consideration for ambulance services, rather than operational pressures, including targets and driving the service. Development of new models of working must include adequate training and monitoring of clinical risks. Providers and commissioners need a full understanding of the safety implications of introducing new models of care, particularly to a mobile workforce often isolated from colleagues, which requires a body of supportive evidence and an inherent critical evaluation culture. It is difficult to extrapolate findings of clinical studies undertaken in secondary care to ambulance service practice and current national guidelines often rely on consensus opinion regarding applicability to the pre-hospital environment. Areas requiring further work include the safety surrounding discharging patients, patient accidents, equipment and treatment, delays in transfer/admission to hospital, and treatment and diagnosis, with a clear need for increased reliability and training for improving handover to hospital.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

Does pre-hospital endotracheal intubation improve survival in adults with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest? A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is currently considered superior to supraglottic airway devices (SGA) for survival and other outcomes among adults with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to determine if the research supports this conclusion by conducting a systematic review.

METHODS

We searched the MEDLINE, Scopus and CINAHL databases for studies published between January 1, 1980, and 30 April 30, 2013, which compared pre-hospital use of ETI with SGA for outcomes of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC); survival to hospital admission; survival to hospital discharge; and favorable neurological or functional status. We selected studies using pre-specified criteria. Included studies were independently screened for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. We did not pool results because of study variability. Study outcomes were extracted and results presented as summed odds ratios with 95% CI.

RESULTS

We identified five eligible studies: one quasi-randomized controlled trial and four cohort studies, involving 303,348 patients in total. Only three of the five studies reported a higher proportion of ROSC with ETI versus SGA with no difference reported in the remaining two. None found significant differences between ETI and SGA for survival to hospital admission or discharge. One study reported better functional status at discharge for ETI versus SGA. Two studies reported no significant difference for favorable neurological status between ETI and SGA.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence does not conclusively support the superiority of ETI over SGA for multiple outcomes among adults with OHCA.

Developing templates for uniform data documentation and reporting in critical care using a modified nominal group technique

BACKGROUND

Clinical practice in trauma and critical care is predominantly derived from quantitative observational cohort studies based on data retrospectively collected from medical records. Such data create uncontrolled bias and influence external and internal validity, thereby hindering systematic reviews. Templates or standards for uniform documenting and scientific reporting may result in high quality and internationally standardised data being collected on a regular basis, enhance large international multi-centre studies, and increase the quality of evidence. Templates or standards may be developed using multidisciplinary expert panel consensus methods.We present three consensus processes aimed at developing templates for documenting and scientific reporting. We discuss the advantages, limitations, and possible future improvements of our method.

METHODS

The template preparation was based on expert panel consensus derived through a modified nominal group technique (NGT) method that combined the traditional Delphi method with the traditional NGT method in a four-step process.

RESULTS

Standard templates for documenting and scientific reporting were developed for major trauma, pre-hospital advanced airway handling, and physician-staffed pre-hospital EMS. All templates were published in scientific journals.

CONCLUSION

Our modified NGT consensus method can successfully be used to establish templates for reporting trauma and critical care data. When used in a structured manner, the method uses recognised experts to achieve consensus, but based on our experiences, we recommend the consensus process to be followed by feasibility, reliability, and validity testing.

Learning curve for paramedic endotracheal intubation and complications

Background

Pre-hospital laryngoscopic endotracheal intubation (ETI) is potentially a life-saving procedure but is a technique difficult to acquire. This study aimed to obtain a recommendation for the number of times ETI should be practiced by constructing the learning curve for endotracheal intubation by paramedics, as well as to report the change in the frequency of complications possibly associated with intubation over the training period.

Methods

Under training conditions, 32 paramedics performed a total of 1,045 ETIs in an operating room. Trainees performed ETIs until they succeeded in 30 cases. For each patient, the number of laryngoscopic maneuvers and any complications potentially associated with ETI were recorded. We built a generalized logistic model to construct the learning curve for ETI and the frequency of complications.

Results

During the training on the first 30 patients the rate of ETI success at the first attempt improved from 71% to 87%, but there was little improvement during the first 13 cases. The frequency of complications decreased from 53% to 31%. More laryngoscopic maneuvers and longer operation time increased complications.

Conclusions

It seems that 30 live experiences of performing an ETI is sufficient for obtaining a 90% ETI success rate, but there seems to be little benefit with fewer than 13 experiences. The frequency of complications remained at a high level even after the training. It is desirable to conduct a more detailed and rigorous evaluation of the benefit of pre-hospital ETI by controlling for the skill level of paramedics.

[Supraglottic airway devices in emergency medicine : impact of gastric drainage]

This case report describes a life-saving use of a supraglottic airway device (LT-D™-Larynxtubus, VBM Medizintechnik, Sulz, Germany) in an out-of-hospital emergency patient suffering from severe traumatic brain injury. Mechanical ventilation with the laryngeal tube was complicated by repeated airway obstructions and pronounced gastric distension with air as a consequence of oropharyngeal leakage. In this situation pulmonary ventilation of the patient was compromised so that emergency endotracheal intubation became necessary in the resuscitation area with vital indications. In this context the status of supraglottic airway devices in emergency medicine is discussed as well as the reasons for the gastric distension. Besides the immediate drastic consequences of gastric distension with respect to pulmonary ventilation, potential deleterious non-pulmonary consequences of this complication are highlighted. The clinical relevance of the described complications as well as the associated possibility of an optimized position control necessitate the recommendation only to use second generation supraglottic airway devices with integrated gastric access in (out-of-hospital) emergency medicine.

Laryngeal tube use in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by paramedics in Norway

Background

Although there are numerous supraglottic airway alternatives to endotracheal intubation, it remains unclear which airway technique is optimal for use in prehospital cardiac arrests. We evaluated the use of the laryngeal tube (LT) as an airway management tool among adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients treated by our ambulance services in the Haukeland and Innlandet hospital districts.

Methods

Post-resuscitation forms and data concerning airway management in 347 adult OHCA victims were retrospectively assessed with regard to LT insertion success rates, ease and speed of insertion and insertion-related problems.

Results

A total of 402 insertions were performed on 347 OHCA patients. Overall, LT insertion was successful in 85.3% of the patients, with a 74.4% first-attempt success rate. In the minority of patients (n = 46, 13.3%), the LT insertion time exceeded 30 seconds. Insertion-related problems were recorded in 52.7% of the patients. Lack of respiratory sounds on auscultation (n = 100, 28.8%), problematic initial tube positioning (n = 85, 24.5%), air leakage (n = 61, 17.6%), vomitus/aspiration (n = 44, 12.7%), and tube dislocation (n = 17, 4.9%) were the most common problems reported. Insertion difficulty was graded and documented for 95.4% of the patients, with the majority of insertions assessed as being “Easy” (62.5%) or “Intermediate” (24.8%). Only 8.1% of the insertions were considered to be “Difficult”.

Conclusions

We found a high number of insertion related problems, indicating that supraglottic airway devices offering promising results in manikin studies may be less reliable in real-life resuscitations. Still, we consider the laryngeal tube to be an important alternative for airway management in prehospital cardiac arrest victims.

[Emergency anesthesia, airway management and ventilation in major trauma. Background and key messages of the interdisciplinary S3 guidelines for major trauma patients]

Patients with multiple trauma presenting with apnea or a gasping breathing pattern (respiratory rate  < 6/min) require prehospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) and ventilation. Additional indications are hypoxia (S(p)O(2)  < 90% despite oxygen insufflation and after exclusion of tension pneumothorax), severe traumatic brain injury [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)  < 9], trauma-associated hemodynamic instability [systolic blood pressure (SBP)  < 90 mmHg] and severe chest trauma with respiratory insufficiency (respiratory rate  > 29/min). The induction of anesthesia after preoxygenation is conducted as rapid sequence induction (analgesic, hypnotic drug, neuromuscular blocking agent). With the availability of ketamine as a viable alternative, the use of etomidate is not encouraged due to its side effects on adrenal function. An electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure measurement and pulse oximetry are needed to monitor the emergency anesthesia and the secured airway. Capnography is absolutely mandatory to confirm correct placement of the endotracheal tube and to monitor tube dislocations as well as ventilation in the prehospital and hospital setting. Because airway management is often complicated in trauma patients, alternative devices need to be available preclinical and a fiber-optic endoscope should be available within the hospital. Use of these alternative measures for airway management and ventilation should be considered at the latest after a maximum of three unsuccessful endotracheal intubation attempts. Emergency medical service (EMS) physicians should to be trained in emergency anesthesia, ETI and alternative methods of airway management on a regular basis. Within hospitals ETI, emergency anesthesia and ventilation are to be conducted by trained and experienced anesthesiologists. When a difficult airway or induction of anesthesia is expected, endotracheal intubation should be supervised or conducted by an anesthesiologist. Normoventilation should be the goal of mechanical ventilation. After arrival in the resuscitation room the ventilation will be controlled and guided with the help of arterial blood gas analyses. After temporary removal of a cervical collar, the cervical spine needs to be immobilized by means of manual in-line stabilization when securing the airway.

Randomized controlled trials affecting polytrauma care

Trauma remains the leading cause of death in the world in patients under 45 years of age. The evaluation, resuscitation, and appropriate management of polytraumatized patients are paramount to successful outcomes. The advance of evidence-based medicine has had a powerful and positive impact on trauma care, even though the nature of many traumatic injuries lends itself poorly to study in a randomized fashion. During the initial management of bleeding patients, hypotensive resuscitation prior to surgical control has found strong support in the literature, and its use has been adopted by many surgeons. Head injury is the most common cause of traumatic death, and while high-level evidence is limited, adherence to management guidelines is associated with improved outcomes. For abdominal trauma, the concept of damage control surgery, while popular, has never been put to the test in a randomized controlled trial. Numerous randomized trials in the field of critical care have affected the management of severely injured patients, including intensive insulin therapy and low tidal volume ventilation in patients with compromised respiratory function. Finally, a multidisciplinary approach to trauma care in designated trauma centers allows for improved outcomes in polytraumatized patients.

[Emergency anesthesia, airway management and ventilation in major trauma. Background and key messages of the interdisciplinary S3 guidelines for major trauma patients]

Patients with multiple trauma presenting with apnea or a gasping breathing pattern (respiratory rate <6/min) require prehospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) and ventilation. Additional indications are hypoxia (S(p)O(2)<90% despite oxygen insufflation and after exclusion of tension pneumothorax), severe traumatic brain injury [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)<9], trauma-associated hemodynamic instability [systolic blood pressure (SBP)<90 mmHg] and severe chest trauma with respiratory insufficiency (respiratory rate >29/min). The induction of anesthesia after preoxygenation is conducted as rapid sequence induction (analgesic, hypnotic drug, neuromuscular blocking agent). With the availability of ketamine as a viable alternative, the use of etomidate is not encouraged due to its side effects on adrenal function. An electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure measurement and pulse oximetry are needed to monitor the emergency anesthesia and the secured airway. Capnography is absolutely mandatory to confirm correct placement of the endotracheal tube and to monitor tube dislocations as well as ventilation and oxygenation in the prehospital and hospital setting. Because airway management is often complicated in trauma patients, alternative devices and a fiber-optic endoscope need to be available within the hospital. Use of these alternative measures for airway management and ventilation should be considered at the latest after a maximum of three unsuccessful intubation attempts. Emergency medical service (EMS) physicians should to be trained in emergency anesthesia, ETI and alternative methods of airway management on a regular basis. Within hospitals ETI, emergency anesthesia and ventilation are to be conducted by trained and experienced anesthesiologists. When a difficult airway or induction of anesthesia is expected, endotracheal intubation should be supervised or conducted by an anesthesiologist. Normoventilation should be the goal of mechanical ventilation. After arrival in the resuscitation room the ventilation will be controlled and guided with the help of arterial blood gas analyses. After temporary removal of a cervical collar, the cervical spine needs to be immobilized by means of manual in-line stabilization when securing the airway.

Patient safety in pre-hospital emergency tracheal intubation: a comprehensive meta-analysis of the intubation success rates of EMS providers

Introduction

Pre-hospital airway management is a controversial subject, but there is general agreement that a small number of seriously ill or injured patients require urgent emergency tracheal intubation (ETI) and ventilation. Many European emergency medical services (EMS) systems provide physicians to care for these patients while other systems rely on paramedics (or, rarely, nurses). The ETI success rate is an important measure of provider and EMS system success and a marker of patient safety.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search of Medline and EMBASE to identify all of the published original English-language articles reporting pre-hospital ETI in adult patients. We selected all of the studies that reported ETI success rates and extracted information on the number of attempted and successful ETIs, type of provider, level of ETI training and the availability of drugs on scene. We calculated the overall success rate using meta-analysis and assessed the relationships between the ETI success rate and type of provider and between the ETI success rate and the types of drugs available on the scene.

Results

From 1,070 studies initially retrieved, we identified 58 original studies meeting the selection criteria. Sixty-four per cent of the non-physician-manned services and 54% of the physician-manned services reported ETI success rates but the success rate reporting was incomplete in three studies from non-physician-manned services. Median success rate was 0.905 (0.491, 1.000). In a weighted linear regression analysis, physicians as providers were significantly associated with increased success rates, 0.092 (P = 0.0345). In the non-physician group, the use of drug-assisted intubation significantly increased the success rates. All physicians had access to traditional rapid sequence induction (RSI) and, comparing these to non-physicians using muscle paralytics or a traditional RSI, there still was a significant difference in success rate in favour of physicians, 0.991 and 0.955, respectively (P = 0.047).

Conclusions

This comprehensive meta-analysis suggests that physicians have significantly fewer pre-hospital ETI failures overall than non-physicians. This finding, which remains true when the non-physicians administer muscle paralytics or RSI, raises significant patient safety issues. In the absence of pre-hospital physicians, conducting basic or advanced airway techniques other than ETI should be strongly considered.

Therapeutic strategies in acute intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage is a devastating disease, and no specific therapy has been proven to reduce mortality in a randomized controlled trial. However, management in a neuroscience intensive care unit does appear to improve outcomes, suggesting that many available therapies do in fact provide benefit. In the acute phase of intracerebral hemorrhage care, strategies aimed at minimizing ongoing bleeding include reversal of anticoagulation and modest blood pressure reduction. In addition, the monitoring and regulation of glucose levels, temperature, and, in selected cases, intracranial pressure are recommended by many groups. Selected patients may benefit from hematoma evacuation or external ventricular drainage. Ongoing clinical trials are examining aggressive blood pressure management, hemostatic therapy, platelet transfusion, stereotactic hematoma evacuation, and intraventricular thrombolysis. Finally, preventing recurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage is of pivotal importance, and tight blood pressure management is paramount.

Expertise in prehospital endotracheal intubation by emergency medicine physicians-Comparing 'proficient performers' and 'experts'

BACKGROUND

Training requirements to perform safe prehospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) are not clearly known. This study aimed to determine differences in ETI performance between 'proficient performers' and 'experts' according to the Dreyfus & Dreyfus framework of expertise. As a model for 'proficient performers' EMS physicians with a clinical background in internal medicine were compared to EMS physicians with a background in anaesthesiology as a model for 'experts'.

METHODS

Over a one-year period all ETIs performed by the EMS physicians of our institution were prospectively evaluated. 'Proficient performers' and 'experts' were compared regarding incidence of difficult ETI, ability to predict difficult ETI, and decision for ETI.

RESULTS

Mean years of professional experience were similar between the physician groups, but the median ETI experience differed significantly with 18/year for 'proficients' and 304/year for 'experts' (p<0.001). 'Proficient performers' intubated 130 of their 2170 treated patients (6.0%), while 'experts' did so in 146 of 1809 cases (8.1%, p=0.01 for difference). The incidence of difficult ETI was 17.7% for 'proficient performers', and 8.9% for 'experts' (p<0.05). In 4 cases ETI was impossible, all managed by 'proficient performers', but all patients could be ventilated sufficiently. Unexpected difficult ETI occurred in 6.1% for 'proficient performers', and 2.0% for 'experts' (p=0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

In a prehospital setting 'expert' status was associated with a significantly lower incidence of 'difficult ETI' and a higher proportion of ETI decisions. In addition, ability to predict difficult ETI was higher, although non-significant. There was no difference in the incidence of impossible ventilation.

The top five research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care: a consensus report from a European research collaboration

Background

Physician-manned emergency medical teams supplement other emergency medical services in some countries. These teams are often selectively deployed to patients who are considered likely to require critical care treatment in the pre-hospital phase. The evidence base for guidelines for pre-hospital triage and immediate medical care is often poor. We used a recognised consensus methodology to define key priority areas for research within the subfield of physician-provided pre-hospital critical care.

Methods

A European expert panel participated in a consensus process based upon a four-stage modified nominal group technique that included a consensus meeting.

Results

The expert panel concluded that the five most important areas for further research in the field of physician-based pre-hospital critical care were the following: Appropriate staffing and training in pre-hospital critical care and the effect on outcomes, advanced airway management in pre-hospital care, definition of time windows for key critical interventions which are indicated in the pre-hospital phase of care, the role of pre-hospital ultrasound and dispatch criteria for pre-hospital critical care services.

Conclusion

A modified nominal group technique was successfully used by a European expert group to reach consensus on the most important research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care.

Comparison of supraglottic airway versus endotracheal intubation for the pre-hospital treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

INTRODUCTION

Both supraglottic airway devices (SGA) and endotracheal intubation (ETI) have been used by emergency life-saving technicians (ELST) in Japan to treat out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). Despite traditional emphasis on airway management during cardiac arrest, its impact on survival from OHCA and time dependent effectiveness remains unclear.

METHODS

All adults with witnessed, non-traumatic OHCA, from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008, treated by the emergency medical services (EMS) with an advanced airway in Osaka, Japan were studied in a prospective Utstein-style population cohort database. The primary outcome measure was one-month survival with neurologically favorable outcome. The association between type of advanced airway (ETI/SGA), timing of device placement and neurological outcome was assessed by multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of 7,517 witnessed non-traumatic OHCAs, 5,377 cases were treated with advanced airways. Of these, 1,679 were ETI while 3,698 were SGA. Favorable neurological outcome was similar between ETI and SGA (3.6% versus 3.6%, P = 0.95). The time interval from collapse to ETI placement was significantly longer than for SGA (17.2 minutes versus 15.8 minutes, P < 0.001). From multivariate analysis, early placement of an advanced airway was significantly associated with better neurological outcome (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) for one minute delay, 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88 to 0.95). ETI was not a significant predictor (AOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.30) but the presence of an ETI certified ELST (AOR, 1.86, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.34) was a significant predictor for favorable neurological outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no difference in neurologically favorable outcome from witnessed OHCA for ETI versus SGA. Early airway management with advanced airway regardless of type and rhythm was associated with improved outcomes.

Difficult prehospital endotracheal intubation - predisposing factors in a physician based EMS

OBJECTIVES

For experienced personnel endotracheal intubation (ETI) is the gold standard to secure the airway in prehospital emergency medicine. Nevertheless, substantial procedural difficulties have been reported with a significant potential to compromise patients' outcomes. Systematic evaluation of ETI in paramedic operated emergency medical systems (EMS) and in a mixed physician/anaesthetic nurse EMS showed divergent results. In our study we systematically assessed factors associated with difficult ETI in an EMS exclusively operating with physicians.

METHODS

Over a 1-year period we prospectively collected data on the specific conditions of all ETIs of two physician staffed EMS vehicles. Difficult ETI was defined by more than 3 attempts or a difficult visualisation of the larynx (Cormack and Lehane grade 3, or worse). For each patient ETI conditions, biophysical characteristics and factors of the surrounding scene were assessed. Additionally, physicians were asked whether they had expected difficult ETI in advance.

RESULTS

Out of 3979 treated patients 305 (7.7%) received ETI. For 276 patients complete data sets were available. The incidence of difficult ETI was 13.0%. In 4 cases (1.4%) ETI was impossible, but no patient was unable to be ventilated sufficiently. Predicting conditions for difficult intubation were limited surrounding space on scene (p<0.01), short neck (p<0.01), obesity (p<0.01), face and neck injuries (p<0.01), mouth opening<3 cm (p<0.01) and known ankylosing spondylitis (p<0.01). ETI on the floor or with C-spine immobilisation in situ were of no significant influence. The incidence of unexpected difficult ETI was 5.0%.

CONCLUSIONS

In a physician staffed EMS difficult prehospital ETI occurred in 13% of cases. Predisposing factors were limited surrounding space on scene and certain biophysical conditions of the patient (short neck, obesity, face and neck injuries, and anatomical restrictions). Unexpected difficult ETI occurred in 5% of the cases.

The 'off-hour' effect in trauma care: a possible quality indicator with appealing characteristics

A recent paper has drawn attention to the paucity of widely accepted quality indicators for trauma care. At the same time, several studies have measured whether mortality of trauma patients changes between normal working time and other parts of the day/week, i.e. the so-called 'off-hour' or 'weekend' effect. This measure has the characteristics to become an accepted quality indicator because it combines the advantages of both outcome and process indicators. As an outcome indicator it would not need validation, a procedure particularly difficult in trauma care where gathering scientific evidence is more difficult than in other disciplines. As a process indicator it would provide indications about where to intervene to improve quality.

[Comments on the 2010 guidelines on cardiopulmonary resuscitation of the European Resuscitation Council]

ADULTS

Administer chest compressions (minimum 100/min, minimum 5 cm depth) at a ratio of 30:2 with ventilation (tidal volume 500-600 ml, inspiration time 1 s, F(I)O₂ if possible 1.0). Avoid any interruptions in chest compressions. After every single defibrillation attempt (initially biphasic 120-200 J, monophasic 360 J, subsequently with the respective highest energy), chest compressions are initiated again immediately for 2 min independent of the ECG rhythm. Tracheal intubation is the optimal method for securing the airway during resuscitation but should be performed only by experienced airway management providers. Laryngoscopy is performed during ongoing chest compressions; interruption of chest compressions for a maximum of 10 s to pass the tube through the vocal cords. Supraglottic airway devices are alternatives to tracheal intubation. Drug administration routes for adults and children: first choice i.v., second choice intraosseous (i.o.). Vasopressors: 1 mg epinephrine every 3-5 min i.v. After the third unsuccessful defibrillation amiodarone (300 mg i.v.), repetition (150 mg) possible. Sodium bicarbonate (50 ml 8.4%) only for excessive hyperkaliemia, metabolic acidosis, or intoxication with tricyclic antidepressants. Consider aminophylline (5 mg/kgBW). Thrombolysis during spontaneous circulation only for myocardial infarction or massive pulmonary embolism; during on-going cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) only when indications of massive pulmonary embolism. Active compression-decompression (ACD-CPR) and inspiratory threshold valve (ITV-CPR) are not superior to good standard CPR.

CHILDREN

Most effective improvement of outcome by prevention of full cardiorespiratory arrest. Basic life support: initially five rescue breaths, followed by chest compressions (100-120/min depth about one third of chest diameter), compression-ventilation ratio 15:2. Foreign body airway obstruction with insufficient cough: alternate back blows and chest compressions (infants), or abdominal compressions (children >1 year). Treatment of potentially reversible causes: ("4 Hs and 4 Ts") hypoxia and hypovolaemia, hypokalaemia and hyperkalaemia, hypothermia, and tension pneumothorax, tamponade, toxic/therapeutic disturbances, thrombosis (coronary/pulmonary). Advanced life support: adrenaline (epinephrine) 10 µg/kgBW i.v. or i.o. every 3-5 min. Defibrillation (4 J/kgBW; monophasic or biphasic) followed by 2 min CPR, then ECG and pulse check. NEWBORNS: Initially inflate the lungs with bag-valve mask ventilation (p(AW) 20-40 cmH₂O). If heart rate remains <60/min, start chest compressions (120 chest compressions/min) and ventilation with a ratio 3:1. Maintain normothermia in preterm babies by covering them with foodgrade plastic wrap or similar. POSTRESUSCITATION PHASE: Early protocol-based intensive care stabilization; initiate mild hypothermia early regardless of initial cardiac rhythm [32-34°C for 12-24 h (adults) or 24 h (children); slow rewarming (<0.5°C/h)]. Consider percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with presumed cardiac ischemia. Prediction of CPR outcome is not possible at the scene, determine neurological outcome <72 h after cardiac arrest with somatosensory evoked potentials, biochemical tests and neurological examination. ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: Even if only a weak suspicion of an acute coronary syndrome is present, record a prehospital 12-lead ECG. In parallel to pain therapy, administer aspirin (160-325 mg p.o. or i.v.) and clopidogrel (75-600 mg depending on strategy); in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and planned PCI also prasugrel (60 mg p.o.). Antithrombins, such as heparin (60 IU/kgBW, max. 4000 IU), enoxaparin, bivalirudin or fondaparinux depending on the diagnosis (STEMI or non-STEMI-ACS) and the planned therapeutic strategy. In STEMI define reperfusion strategy depending on duration of symptoms until PCI, age and location of infarction. TRAUMA: In severe hemorrhagic shock, definitive control of bleeding is the most important goal. For successful CPR of trauma patients a minimal intravascular volume status and management of hypoxia are essential. Aggressive fluid resuscitation, hyperventilation and excessive ventilation pressure may impair outcome in patients with severe hemorrhagic shock.

TRAINING

Any CPR training is better than nothing; simplification of contents and processes is the main aim.

EMS-physicians' self reported airway management training and expertise; a descriptive study from the Central Region of Denmark

Background

Prehospital advanced airway management, including prehospital endotracheal intubation is challenging and recent papers have addressed the need for proper training, skill maintenance and quality control for emergency medical service personnel. The aim of this study was to provide data regarding airway management-training and expertise from the regional physician-staffed emergency medical service (EMS).

Methods

The EMS in this part of The Central Region of Denmark is a two tiered system. The second tier comprises physician staffed Mobile Emergency Care Units. The medical directors of the programs supplied system data. A questionnaire addressing airway management experience, training and knowledge was sent to the EMS-physicians.

Results

There are no specific guidelines, standard operating procedures or standardised program for obtaining and maintaining skills regarding prehospital advanced airway management in the schemes covered by this study. 53/67 physicians responded; 98,1% were specialists in anesthesiology, with an average of 17,6 years of experience in anesthesiology, and 7,2 years experience as EMS-physicians. 84,9% reported having attended life support course(s), 64,2% an advanced airway management course. 24,5% fulfilled the curriculum suggested for Danish EMS physicians. 47,2% had encountered a difficult or impossible PHETI, most commonly in a patient in cardiac arrest or a trauma patient. Only 20,8% of the physicians were completely familiar with what back-up devices were available for airway management.

Conclusions

In this, the first Danish study of prehospital advanced airway management, we found a high degree of experience, education and training among the EMS-physicians, but their equipment awareness was limited. Check-outs, guidelines, standard operating procedures and other quality control measures may be needed.

Revisiting the value of pre-hospital tracheal intubation: an all time systematic literature review extracting the Utstein airway core variables

Introduction

Although tracheal intubation (TI) in the pre-hospital setting is regularly carried out by emergency medical service (EMS) providers throughout the world, its value is widely debated. Heterogeneity in procedures, providers, patients, systems and stated outcomes, and inconsistency in data reporting make scientific reports difficult to interpret and compare, and the majority are of limited quality. To hunt down what is really known about the value of pre-hospital TI, we determined the rate of reported Utstein airway variables (28 core variables and 12 fixed-system variables) found in current scientific publications on pre-hospital TI.

Methods

We performed an all time systematic search according to the PRISMA guidelines of Medline and EMBASE to identify original research pertaining to pre-hospital TI in adult patients.

Results

From 1,076 identified records, 73 original papers were selected. Information was extracted according to an Utstein template for data reporting from in-the-field advanced airway management. Fifty-nine studies were from North American EMS systems. Of these, 46 (78%) described services in which non-physicians conducted TI. In 12 of the 13 non-North American EMS systems, physicians performed the pre-hospital TI. Overall, two were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and 65 were observational studies. None of the studies presented the complete set of recommended Utstein airway variables. The median number of core variables reported was 10 (max 21, min 2, IQR 8-12), and the median number of fixed system variables was 5 (max 11, min 0, IQR 4-8). Among the most frequently reported variables were "patient category" and "service mission type", reported in 86% and 71% of the studies, respectively. Among the least-reported variables were "co-morbidity" and "type of available ventilator", both reported in 2% and 1% of the studies, respectively.

Conclusions

Core data required for proper interpretation of results were frequently not recorded and reported in studies investigating TI in adults. This makes it difficult to compare scientific reports, assess their validity, and extrapolate to other EMS systems. Pre-hospital TI is a complex intervention, and terminology and study design must be improved to substantiate future evidence based clinical practice.

Cardiorespiratory arrest in children (out of hospital)

INTRODUCTION

Cardiorespiratory arrest outside hospital occurs in approximately 1/10,000 children a year in resource-rich countries, with two-thirds of arrests occurring in children under 18 months of age. Approximately 45% of cases have undetermined causes, including sudden infant death syndrome. Of the rest, 20% are caused by trauma, 10% by chronic disease, and 6% by pneumonia.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES

We conducted a systematic review aiming to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for non-submersion out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest in children? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to December 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS

We found 15 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: airway management and ventilation (bag-mask ventilation and intubation), bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, direct-current cardiac shock, hypothermia, intravenous sodium bicarbonate, standard dose of intravenous adrenaline (epinephrine), and training parents to perform resuscitation.

Risk assessment of pre-hospital trauma airway management by anaesthesiologists using the predictive Bayesian approach

Introduction

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) has been considered an essential part of pre-hospital advanced life support. Pre-hospital ETI, however, is a complex intervention also for airway specialist like anaesthesiologists working as pre-hospital emergency physicians. We therefore wanted to investigate the quality of pre-hospital airway management by anaesthesiologists in severely traumatised patients and identify possible areas for improvement.

Method

We performed a risk assessment according to the predictive Bayesian approach, in a typical anaesthesiologist-manned Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS). The main focus of the risk assessment was the event where a patient arrives in the emergency department without ETI despite a pre-hospital indication for it.

Results

In the risk assessment, we assigned a high probability (29%) for the event assessed, that a patient arrives without ETI despite a pre-hospital indication. However, several uncertainty factors in the risk assessment were identified related to data quality, indications for use of ETI, patient outcome and need for special training of ETI providers.

Conclusion

Our risk assessment indicated a high probability for trauma patients with an indication for pre-hospital ETI not receiving it in the studied HEMS. The uncertainty factors identified in the assessment should be further investigated to better understand the problem assessed and consequences for the patients. Better quality of pre-hospital airway management data could contribute to a reduction of these uncertainties.