Title: Peri-Intubation Cardiac Arrest<br/>Author: Michael Winters<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/141/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
<strong><u>Peri-Intubation Cardiac Arrest</u></strong></p>
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Emergency intubation is a common critical care procedure that carries the risk of life-threatening complications.</li>
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Although cardiac arrest (CA) is an established complication, there is scant literature on the actual incidence ad factors associated with CA in the peri-intubation period.</li>
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In a recent retrospective analysis from Carolinas Medical Center, investigators found:
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Peri-intubation CA occurred in 4.2% of patients and was associated with a 14-fold increase in hospital mortality.</li>
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A pre-RSI shock index > 0.9 was indepedently associated with CA.</li>
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Obese patients had a higher incidence of CA; odds of CA increased 1.37 times for every 10 kg increase in weight.</li>
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Take Home Point: Peri-intubation CA may be more common than previously thought and, not suprisingly, is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death.</li>
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<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
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Heffner AC, Swords DS, Neale MN, Jones AE. Incidence and factors associated with cardiac arrest complicating emergency airway management. <em>Resuscitation</em> 2013. [Epub ahead of print].</p>
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