• Royal Flying Doctor Service, Cairns Base, Aeroglen, 4870 Queensland, Australia. mlecong@rfdsqld.com.au
• Emerg Med J. 2012 Mar 1;29(3):249-50.

ObjectiveTo describe the profile and success rates of emergency endotracheal intubation conducted by the Queensland Royal Flying Doctor Service aeromedical retrieval team comprising a doctor and flight nurse.MethodEach intubator completed a study questionnaire at the time of each intubation for indications, complications, overall success, drugs utilised and deployment of rescue airway devices/adjuncts.Results76 patients were intubated; 72 intubations were successful. None required surgical airway and three were managed with laryngeal mask airways; the remaining failure was managed with simple airway positioning for transport. There were two cardiac arrests during intubation. Thiopentone and suxamethonium were the predominant drugs used to facilitate intubation.ConclusionDespite a low rate of endotracheal intubation, the high success rate was similar to other aeromedical organisations' published airway data. This study demonstrates the utility of the laryngeal mask airway device in the retrieval and transport setting, in particular for managing a failed intubation.

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