Graham High volleyball coach Lu Allen, center, was struck by a pickup, and she received RSI while being flown to a hospital. Her breathing tube was later discovered in her esophagus.
Graham High volleyball coach Lu Allen, center, was struck by a pickup, and she received RSI while being flown to a hospital. Her breathing tube was later discovered in her esophagus.
Ping!
Every patient who has an airway has a chance of survival. EVERY patient without an airway will die 100% of the time. The decision to attempt non-surgical airway (ET) intubation must be considered in light of this reality. However attempting intubation in a moving vehicle, without benefit of proper assistance, suction, lighting,positioning is extremely difficult even for a trained MD, CRNA or ER provider. In addition the contents of the stomach is unknown with the very real possibility of regurgitation and aspiration. Placing and leaving a tube in the esophagus should be an easily recognized complication as others have stated here. I was taught long before today’s sophisticated monitors to listen to the stomach and watch for chest rising before taping the tube down. That only takes a pair of ears and eyes a few seconds. Endotracheal intubation is an art that takes a long time and hundreds of cases to master. RSI(crash intubation) is an all or nothing form of this which should only be used by experienced clinicians or by others only when there is no other means of ventilating the patient(pending death).