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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation
Published on: January 17, 2011
Premedication practices for tracheal intubation in neonates transported by French medical transport teams: a
Ricardo Carbajal1,2, Noella Lode3, Azzedine Ayachi4
1Service des Urgences Pédiatriques, Hôpital Trousseau, Paris, France ricardo.carbajal@trs.aphp.fr.
Objectives:
Premedication practices for neonatal tracheal intubations have not yet been described for neonatal transport teams. Our objective is to describe the use of sedation/analgesia (SA) for tracheal intubations and to assess its tolerance in neonates transported by medical transport teams in France.
Setting:
This prospective observational study was part of the EPIPPAIN 2 project and collected around-the-clock data on SA practices in neonates intubated by all five paediatric medical transport teams of the Paris region during a 2-month period. Intubations were classified as emergent, semiemergent and non-emergent. Sedation level and conditions of intubation were assessed with the Tonus, Reactivity, Awareness and Conditions of intubation to Help in Endotracheal intubation Assessment (TRACHEA score). The scores range from 0 to 10 representing an increasing ladder from adequate to inadequate sedation, and from excellent to very poor conditions of intubation.
Participants:
40 neonates intubated in 28 different centres.
Results:
The mean (SD) age was 34.9 (3.9) weeks, and 62.5% were intubated in the delivery room. 30/40 (75%) of intubations were performed with the use of SA. In 18/30 (60.0%) intubations performed with SA, the drug regimen was the association of sufentanil and midazolam. Atropine was given in 19/40 intubations. From the 16, 21 and 3 intubations classified as emergent, semiemergent and non-emergent, respectively, 8 (50%), 19 (90.5%) and 3 (100%) were performed with SA premedication. 79.3% of intubations performed with SA had TRACHEA scores of 3 or less. 22/40 (55%) infants had at least one of the following adverse events: muscle rigidity, bradycardia below 100/min, desaturation below 80% and nose or pharynx-larynx bleeding. 7/24 (29.2%) of those who had only one attempt presented at least one of these adverse events compared with 15/16 (93.8%) of those who needed two or more attempts (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
SA premedication is largely feasible for tracheal intubations performed in neonates transported by medical transport teams including intubations judged as emergent or semiemergent.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT01346813; Results.
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