Apnoeic oxygenation did not influence peri-intubation oxygen saturations, but it did reduce the frequency and duration of hypoxia in the post-intubation period.

Given that apnoeic oxygenation is a simple low-cost intervention with a low complication rate, and that hypoxia can be detrimental to outcome, application of nasal cannulas during the drug-induced phase of emergency intubation may benefit a subset of patients undergoing emergency anaesthesia.

Of 725 patients included; 188 patients received standard treatment and 537 received the intervention.

A prospective before-after study was performed to compare patients receiving standard care and those receiving additional oxygen via nasal prongs.

The primary endpoint was median oxygen saturation in the peri-rapid sequence induction period, (2 minutes pre-intubation to 2 minutes post-intubation) for all patients. Secondary endpoints included the incidence of hypoxia in predetermined subgroups.

Read More