Title: EvK Trial: Etomidate vs Ketamine for RSI<br/>Author: William Teeter<br/><a href='mailto:2286'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
A prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel assignment, single-center clinical trial performed by an anesthesiology-based Airway Team under emergent circumstances at UT Southwestern.</p>
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801 critically ill patients requiring emergency intubation were randomly assigned 1:1 at the time of intubation using standard RSI doses of etomidate and ketamine.</p>
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Primary endpoint: 7-day survival, was statistically and clinically significantly lower in the etomidate group compared with ketamine 77.3% (90/396) vs 85.1% (59/395); NNH = 13.</p>
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Secondary endpoints: 28-day survival rate was not statistically or clinically different for etomidate vs ketamine groups was no longer statistically different: 64.1% (142/396) vs 66.8% (131/395). Duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU LOS, use and duration of vasopressor, daily SOFA for 96 hours, adrenal insufficiency not significant.</p>
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Other considerations:</p>
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1. Similar to a 2009 study, ketamine group had lower blood pressure after RSI, but was not statistically significant. 2</p>
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2. Etomidate inhibits 11-beta hydroxylase in the adrenals. Associated with positive ACTH test and high SOFA scores, but not increased mortality.2</p>
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3. Ketamine raises ICP… just kidding.</p>
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<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
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Etomidate versus ketamine for emergency endotracheal intubation: a randomized clinical trial. Intensive Care Med. 2021 Dec 14. doi: 10.1007/s00134-021-06577-x. Online ahead of print.</p>
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Jabre P, Combes X, Lapostolle F, et al.; KETASED Collaborative Study Group. Etomidate versus ketamine for rapid sequence intubation in acutely ill patients: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2009 Jul 25;374(9686):293-300. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60949-1. Epub 2009 Jul 1. PMID: 19573904.</p>
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Bruder EA, Ball IM, Ridi S, Pickett W, Hohl C (2015) Single induction dose of etomidate versus other induction agents for endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1(1):CD010225. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/1ecweccccccccccc4651858.CD010225.pub2">https://doi.org/10.1002/1ecweccccccccccc4651858.CD010225.pub2</a></p>
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Wang, X., Ding, X., Tong, Y. <em>et al.</em> Ketamine does not increase intracranial pressure compared with opioids: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. <em>J Anesth</em> <strong>28, </strong>821–827 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-014-1845-3</p>
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