Bougie-assisted endotracheal intubation in the pragmatic airway resuscitation trial.

OBJECTIVE: Paramedics may perform endotracheal intubation (ETI) while treating patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The gum elastic Bougie (Bougie) is an intubation adjunct that may optimize intubation success. There are few reports of Bougie-assisted intubation in OHCA nor its association with outcomes. We compared intubation success rates and OHCA outcomes between Bougie-assisted and non-Bougie ETI in the out-of-hospital Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial (PART). METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of patients receiving ETI enrolled in the Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial (PART), a multicenter clinical trial comparing intubation-first vs. laryngeal tube-first strategies of airway management in adult OHCA. The primary exposure was use of Bougie for ETI-assistance. The primary endpoint was first-pass ETI success. Secondary endpoints included overall ETI success, time to successful ETI, return of spontaneous circulation, 72-h survival, hospital survival and hospital survival with favorable neurologic status (Modified Rankin Score ≤3). We analyzed the data using Generalized Estimating Equations and Cox Regression, adjusting for known confounders. RESULTS: Of the 3004 patients enrolled in PART, 1227 received ETI, including 440 (35.9%) Bougie-assisted and 787 (64.1%) non-Bougie ETIs. First-pass ETI success did not differ between Bougie-assisted and non-Bougie ETI (53.1% vs. 42.8%; adjusted OR 1.12, 95% CI: 0.97-1.39). ETI overall success was slightly higher in the Bougie-assisted group (56.2% vs. 49.1%; adjusted OR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01-1.32). Time to endotracheal tube placement or abandonment was longer for Bougie-assisted than non-Bougie ETI (median 13 vs. 11 min; adjusted HR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.90). While survival to hospital discharge was lower for Bougie-assisted than non-Bougie ETI (3.6% vs. 7.5%; adjusted OR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.96), there were no differences in ROSC, 72-h survival or hospital survival or hospital survival with favorable neurologic status. CONCLUSION: While exhibiting slightly higher ETI overall success rates, Bougie-assisted ETI entailed longer airway placement times and potentially lower survival. The role of the Bougie assistance in ETI of OHCA remains unclear.

Airway insertion first pass success and patient outcomes in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: The Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial.

OBJECTIVE: While emphasized in clinical practice, the association between advanced airway insertion first-pass success (FPS) and patient outcomes is incompletely understood. We sought to determine the association of airway insertion FPS with adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes in the Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial (PART). METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of PART, a multicenter clinical trial comparing LT and ETI upon adult OHCA outcomes. We defined FPS as successful LT insertion or ETI on the first attempt as reported by EMS personnel. We examined the outcomes return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 72-h survival, hospital survival, and hospital survival with favorable neurologic status (Modified Rankin Scale ≤3). Using multivariable GEE (generalized estimating equations), we determined the association between FPS and OHCA outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, initial rhythm, and initial airway type. RESULTS: Of 3004 patients enrolled in the trial, 1423 received LT, 1227 received ETI, 354 received bag-valve-mask ventilation only. FPS was: LT 86.2% and ETI 46.7%. FPS was associated with increased ROSC (aOR 1.23; 95%CI: 1.07-1.41)), but not 72-h survival (1.22; 0.94-1.58), hospital survival (0.90; 0.68-1.19) or hospital survival with favorable neurologic status (0.66; 0.37-1.19). CONCLUSION: In adult OHCA, airway insertion FPS was associated with increased ROSC but not other OHCA outcomes. The influence of airway insertion FPS upon OHCA outcomes is unclear.

Twiddler's Syndrome.

Twiddler's syndrome refers to a rare condition in which a pacemaker or automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) malfunctions due to coiling of the device in the skin pocket and resultant lead displacement. This image is the chest radiograph (CXR) of a 54-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with chest pain five months after his AICD was placed. The CXR shows AICD leads coiled around the device and the absence of leads in the ventricle consistent with Twiddler's syndrome. Patients with twiddler's syndrome should be admitted for operative intervention.