Etomidate versus succinylcholine for intubation in an air medical setting

The objective was to compare rates of successful endotracheal intubation (ETI) and requirement for multiple ETI attempts in patients receiving etomidate (ETOM) versus succinylcholine (SUX). This retrospective study analyzed adults in whom oral ETI was attempted by a helicopter EMS (HEMS) service between July 1997 to July 1999. Data were from records of the HEMS service, which uses a RN/EMTP crew; analysis was with chi-square and logistic regression (P = .05). ETI was successful in 269 (97.8%) of 275 patients, with multiple attempts occurring in 54 (20.1%) of 269. Success rates for SUX (209 of 213, 98.1%) and ETOM (60 of 62, 96.8%) were similar (P = .62). However, of 60 ETOM patients successfully intubated, 7 (11.7%) required rescue succinylcholine. When these patients are tallied as ETOM failures and SUX successes, resultant success rates for ETOM (86.9%) and SUX (98.2%) are different (P = .001). ETOM patients were more likely (P = .004) than SUX patients to require multiple attempts (33.3% versus 16.3%). ETI success rates were high in patients receiving SUX or ETOM as primary adjuncts for airway control, but initial success was more likely with SUX, and ETOM patients were more likely to require multiple attempts.