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Pediatric endotracheal intubations for airway management in the emergency department

Surraiya Bano1, Saleem Akhtar, Nukhba Zia

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. surraiya.bano@aku.edu

Pediatric Emergency Care
|November 2, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric endotracheal intubation in the emergency department was primarily for respiratory failure. Sedation and neuromuscular blocking agents were underused during these critical airway procedures.

Area of Science:

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Airway Management

Background:

  • Pediatric endotracheal intubation is a common procedure in emergency departments.
  • Understanding indications, medication use, and complications is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the primary indications for pediatric endotracheal intubation.
  • To analyze the types of medications used during the procedure.
  • To identify immediate complications associated with pediatric endotracheal intubations in an emergency setting.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients (0-14 years) undergoing endotracheal intubation.
  • Data collected included patient demographics, intubation indications, medications administered, and observed complications.
  • Exclusion criteria: dead-on-arrival patients and those intubated prior to emergency department arrival.

Main Results:

  • 83 pediatric endotracheal intubations were analyzed.
  • Respiratory failure (61%) was the leading indication, followed by unresponsiveness (22%), cardiac arrest (10%), and trauma (7%).
  • Medications for sedation and neuromuscular blockade were used in only 58% of cases, indicating potential underutilization.

Conclusions:

  • Respiratory failure is the predominant reason for pediatric endotracheal intubation in the emergency department.
  • There is an opportunity to increase the use of sedative and neuromuscular blocking agents to facilitate endotracheal intubation in pediatric patients.
Abstract

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