Peri-intubation cardiac arrest in the Emergency Department: A National Emergency Airway Registry (NEAR) study

To determine the incidence of peri-intubation cardiac arrest through analysis of a multi-center Emergency Department (ED) airway registry and to report associated clinical characteristics.

This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data (National Emergency Airway Registry) comprising ED endotracheal intubations (ETIs) of subjects >14 years old from 2016 to 2018. We excluded those with cardiac arrest prior to intubation. The primary outcome was peri-intubation cardiac arrest. Multivariable logistic regression generated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of variables associated with this outcome, controlling for clinical features, difficult airway characteristics, and ETI modality.

Of 15,776 subjects who met selection criteria, 157 (1.0%, 95% CI 0.9-1.2%) experienced peri-intubation cardiac arrest. Pre-intubation systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg (aOR 6.2, 95% CI 2.5-8.5), pre-intubation oxygen saturation <90% (aOR 3.1, 95% CI 2.0-4.8), and clinician-reported need for immediate intubation without time for full preparation (aOR 1.8, 95% CI, 1.2-2.7) were associated with higher likelihood of peri-intubation cardiac arrest. The association between pre-intubation shock and cardiac arrest persisted in additional modeling stratified by ETI indication, induction agent, and oxygenation status.

Peri-intubation cardiac arrest for patients undergoing ETI in the ED is rare. Higher likelihood of arrest occurs in patients with pre-intubation shock or hypoxemia. Prospective trials are necessary to determine whether a protocol to optimize pre-intubation haemodynamics and oxygenation mitigates the risk of peri-intubation cardiac arrest.