The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Letter Comparative Study
Comparison of Macintosh and Intubrite laryngoscopes for intubation performed by novice physicians in a difficult airway scenario.
In the difficult airway, the intubation skills are critically important. In selected cases, particularly in airway edema, laryngeal or tongue edema, endotracheal intubation can turn out very difficult, and repeated attempts may even worsen the airway edema, causing trauma and bleeding, and finally leading to complete airway obstruction and inability to ventilate the patient. ⋯ During the simulation study, the novice physicians were able to perform endotracheal intubation at the same time using both the Macintosh and Intubrite videolaryngoscope. However, the efficacy of the first intubation attempt was higher for MAC. Further studies are needed to confirm the results.
-
Minimizing and preventing adverse events and medical errors in the emergency department (ED) is an ongoing area of quality improvement. Identifying these events remains challenging. ⋯ Tracking patients admitted to the hospital from the ED who are transferred to the ICU <24h after admission may be a valuable marker for adverse events and preventable errors in the ED.