Abstract
Objectives: Determine incidence of complications such as difficult or failed intubation, hypoxemia, hypotension, and bradycardia in children undergoing rapid sequence intubation (RSI) in a pediatric anesthesia department in a tertiary care children's hospital. Aim: To establish a benchmark to be used by other institutions and nonanesthesiologists performing RSI in children. Background: RSI is being increasingly performed in the nonoperating room setting by nonanesthesiologists. No published studies exist to establish a benchmark of intubation success or failure and complications in this patient population. Methods/Materials: Retrospective cohort analysis of children aged 3-12 undergoing RSI from 2001 to 2006. Results: One thousand seventy children underwent RSI from 2001 to 2006. Twenty (1.9%) developed moderate hypoxemia (SpO2 80-89%), 18 (1.7%) demonstrated severe hypoxemia (SpO 2 < 80%), 5 (0.5%) developed bradycardia (heart rate <60), and 8 (0.8%) developed hypotension (systolic blood pressure <70 mmHg). One patient had emesis of gastric contents but no evidence of pulmonary aspiration or hypoxemia. Eighteen (1.7%) children were noted to be difficult to intubate and required more than one intubation attempt. All were eventually intubated without significant complications. Patients between 10 and 19 kg had a higher incidence of severe hypoxemia when compared with older children (P < 0.001). There was no association between choice of muscle relaxant and any complication. Conclusions: In our cohort of 1070 children who underwent RSI, difficult intubation was encountered in 1.7% and transient oxyhemoglobin desaturation occurred in 3.6%. Severe hypoxemia was more likely in children <20 kg. There were no children who could not be intubated, and there were no long-term or permanent complications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 421-424 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Paediatric Anaesthesia |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2010 |
Keywords
- Complications
- Pediatric anesthesia
- Rapid sequence intubation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine