Peri-Intubation Adverse Events in the Critically Ill Child After Hematopoietic Cell Transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Mechanically ventilated children post-hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) have increased morbidity and mortality compared with other mechanically ventilated critically ill children. Tracheal intubation-associated adverse events (TIAEs) and peri-intubation hypoxemia universally portend worse outcomes. We investigated whether adverse peri-intubation associated events occur at increased frequency in patients with HCT compared with non-HCT oncologic or other PICU patients and therefore might contribute to increased mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort between 2014 and 2019. SETTING: Single-center academic noncardiac PICU. PATIENTS: Critically ill children who underwent tracheal intubation (TI). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data from the local airway management quality improvement databases and Virtual Pediatric Systems were merged. These data were supplemented with a retrospective chart review for HCT-related data, including HCT indication, transplant-related comorbidity status, and patient condition at the time of TI procedure. The primary outcome was defined as the composite of hemodynamic TIAE (hypo/hypertension, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest) and/or peri-intubation hypoxemia (oxygen saturation < 80%) events. One thousand nine hundred thirty-one encounters underwent TI, of which 92 (4.8%) were post-HCT, while 319 (16.5%) had history of malignancy without HCT, and 1,520 (78.7%) had neither HCT nor malignancy. Children post-HCT were older more often had respiratory failure as an indication for intubation, use of catecholamine infusions peri-intubation, and use of noninvasive ventilation prior to intubation. Hemodynamic TIAE or peri-intubation hypoxemia were not different across three groups (HCT 16%, non-HCT with malignancy 10%, other 15). After adjusting for age, difficult airway feature, provider type, device, apneic oxygenation use, and indication for intubation, we did not identify an association between HCT status and the adverse TI outcome (odds ratio, 1.32 for HCT status vs other; 95% CI, 0.72-2.41; p = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: In this single-center study, we did not identify an association between HCT status and hemodynamic TIAE or peri-intubation hypoxemia during TI.

Sedation versus General Anesthesia for Tracheal Intubation in Children with Difficult Airways: A Cohort Study from the Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry.

BACKGROUND: Sedated and awake tracheal intubation approaches are considered safest in adults with difficult airways, but little is known about the outcomes of sedated intubations in children. The primary aim of this study was to compare the first-attempt success rate of tracheal intubation during sedated tracheal intubation versus tracheal intubation under general anesthesia. The hypothesis was that sedated intubation would be associated with a lower first-attempt success rate and more complications than general anesthesia. METHODS: This study used data from an international observational registry, the Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry, which prospectively collects data about tracheal intubation in children with difficult airways. The use of sedation versus general anesthesia for tracheal intubation were compared. The primary outcome was the first-attempt success of tracheal intubation. Secondary outcomes included the number of intubation attempts and nonsevere and severe complications. Propensity score matching was used with a matching ratio up to 1:15 to reduce bias due to measured confounders. RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2020, 34 hospitals submitted 1,839 anticipated difficult airway cases that met inclusion criteria for the study. Of these, 75 patients received sedation, and 1,764 patients received general anesthesia. Propensity score matching resulted in 58 patients in the sedation group and 522 patients in the general anesthesia group. The rate of first-attempt success of tracheal intubation was 28 of 58 (48.3%) in the sedation group and 250 of 522 (47.9%) in the general anesthesia group (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.87; P = 0.846). The median number of intubations attempts was 2 (interquartile range, 1 to 3) in the sedation group and 2 (interquartile range, 1, 2) in the general anesthesia group. The general anesthesia group had 6 of 522 (1.1%) intubation failures versus 0 of 58 in the sedation group. However, 16 of 58 (27.6%) sedation cases had to be converted to general anesthesia for successful tracheal intubation. Complications were similar between the groups, and the rate of severe complications was low. CONCLUSIONS: Sedation and general anesthesia had a similar rate of first-attempt success of tracheal intubation in children with difficult airways; however, 27.6% of the sedation cases needed to be converted to general anesthesia to complete tracheal intubation. Complications overall were similar between the groups, and the rate of severe complications was low.

A prospective observational study of video laryngoscopy-guided coaching in the pediatric intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the use of video laryngoscopy for pediatric patients outside of the operating room. AIM: Our primary aim was to evaluate whether implementation of video laryngoscopy-guided coaching for tracheal intubation is feasible with a high level of compliance and associated with a reduction in adverse tracheal intubation-associated events. METHODS: This is a pre-post observational study of video laryngoscopy implementation with standardized coaching language for tracheal intubation in a single-center, pediatric intensive care unit. The use of video laryngoscopy as a coaching device with standardized coaching language was implemented as a part of practice improvement. All patients in the pediatric intensive care unit were included between January 2016 and December 2017 who underwent primary tracheal intubation with either video laryngoscopy or direct laryngoscopy. The uptake of the implementation, sustained compliance, tracheal intubation outcomes including all adverse tracheal intubation-associated events, oxygen desaturations (<80% SpO2), and first attempt success were measured. RESULTS: Among 580 tracheal intubations, 284 (49%) were performed during the preimplementation phase, and 296 (51%) postimplementation. Compliance for the use of video laryngoscopy with standardized coaching language was high (74% postimplementation) and sustained. There were no statistically significant differences in adverse tracheal intubation-associated events between the two phases (pre- 9% vs. post- 5%, absolute difference -3%, CI95 : -8% to 1%, p = .11), oxygen desaturations <80% (pre- 13% vs. post- 13%, absolute difference 1%, CI95 : -6% to 5%, p = .75), or first attempt success (pre- 73% vs. post- 76%, absolute difference 4%, CI95 : -3% to 11%, p = .29). Supervisors were more likely to use the standardized coaching language when video laryngoscopy was used for tracheal intubation than with standard direct laryngoscopy (80% vs. 43%, absolute difference 37%, CI95 : 23% to 51%, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of video laryngoscopy as a supervising device with standardized coaching language was feasible with high level of adherence, yet not associated with an increased occurrence of any adverse tracheal intubation-associated events and oxygen desaturation.

Practice what you teach: An approach to integrate airway education for experienced anesthesia clinicians.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted clinician education. To address this challenge, our divisional difficult airway program (AirEquip) designed and implemented small-group educational workshops for experienced clinicians. Our primary aim was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a small-group, flexible-curriculum skills workshop conducted during the clinical workday. Secondary objectives were to evaluate whether our workshop increased confidence in performing relevant skills and to assess the work-effort required for the new program. METHODS: We implemented a 1:1 and 2:1 (participant to facilitator ratio) airway skills workshop for experienced clinicians during the workday. A member of the AirEquip team temporarily relieved the attendee of clinical duties to facilitate participation. Attendance was encouraged but not required. Feasibility was assessed by clinician attendance, and acceptability was assessed using three Likert scale questions and derived from free-response feedback. Participants completed pre and postworkshop surveys to assess familiarity and comfort with various aspects of airway management. A work-effort analysis was conducted and compared to the effort to run a previously held larger-format difficult airway conference. RESULTS: Fifteen workshops were conducted over 7 weeks; members of AirEquip were able to temporarily assume participants' clinical duties. Forty-seven attending anesthesiologists and 17 CRNAs attended the workshops, compared with six attending anesthesiologists and five CRNAs who attended the most recent larger-format conference. There was no change in confidence after workshop participation, but participants overwhelmingly expressed enthusiasm and satisfaction with the workshops. The number of facilitator person-hours required to operate the workshops (105 h) was similar to that required to run a single all-day larger-format conference (104.5 h). CONCLUSION: It is feasible and acceptable to incorporate expert-led skills training into the clinical workday. Alongside conferences and large-format instruction, this modality enhances the way we are able to share knowledge with our colleagues. This concept can likely be applied to other skills in various clinical settings.

Difficult Bag-Mask Ventilation in Critically Ill Children Is Independently Associated With Adverse Events.

OBJECTIVES: Bag-mask ventilation is commonly used prior to tracheal intubation; however, the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical implications of difficult bag-mask ventilation among critically ill children are not well studied. This study aims to describe prevalence and risk factors for pediatric difficult bag-mask ventilation as well as its association with adverse tracheal intubation-associated events and oxygen desaturation in PICU patients. DESIGN: A retrospective review of prospectively collected observational data from a multicenter tracheal intubation database (National Emergency Airway Registry for Children) from January 2013 to December 2018. SETTING: Forty-six international PICUs. PATIENTS: Children receiving bag-mask ventilation as a part of tracheal intubation in a PICU. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome is the occurrence of either specific tracheal intubation-associated events (hemodynamic tracheal intubation-associated events, emesis with/without aspiration) and/or oxygen desaturation (< 80%). Factors associated with perceived difficult bag-mask ventilation were found using univariate analyses, and multivariable logistic regression identified an independent association between bag-mask ventilation difficulty and the primary outcome. Difficult bag-mask ventilation is reported in 9.5% (n = 1,501) of 15,810 patients undergoing tracheal intubation with bag-mask ventilation during the study period. Difficult bag-mask ventilation is more commonly reported with increasing age, those with a primary respiratory diagnosis/indication for tracheal intubation, presence of difficult airway features, more experienced provider level, and tracheal intubations without use of neuromuscular blockade (p < 0.001). Specific tracheal intubation-associated events or oxygen desaturation events occurred in 40.2% of patients with reported difficult bag-mask ventilation versus 19.8% in patients without perceived difficult bag-mask ventilation (p < 0.001). The presence of difficult bag-mask ventilation is independently associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome: odds ratio, 2.28 (95% CI, 2.03-2.57; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Difficult bag-mask ventilation is reported in approximately one in 10 PICU patients undergoing tracheal intubation. Given its association with adverse procedure-related events and oxygen desaturation, future study is warranted to improve preprocedural planning and real-time management strategies.

Association of Duration of Hypotension With Survival After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of a single episode of hypotension and burden of hypotension with survival to hospital discharge following resuscitation from pediatric cardiac arrest. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single-center PICU. PATIENTS: Patients between 1 day and 18 years old who had a cardiac arrest, received chest compressions for more than 2 minutes, had return of spontaneous circulation for more than 20 minutes, and survived to receive postresuscitation care in the ICU. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: One-hundred sixteen patients were evaluable. Hypotension, defined as systolic blood pressure less than the fifth percentile for age and sex, occurred in 37 patients (32%) within the first 6 hours and 64 (55%) within 72 hours of postresuscitation ICU care. There was no significant difference in survival to discharge for patients who had a single episode of hypotension within 6 hours (51% vs 69%; p = 0.06) or within 72 hours (56% vs 73%; p = 0.06). Burden of hypotension was defined as the percentage of hypotension measurements that were below the fifth percentile. After controlling for patient and cardiac arrest event characteristics, a higher burden of hypotension within the first 72 hours of ICU postresuscitation care was associated with decreased discharge survival (adjusted odds ratio = 0.67 per 10% increase in hypotension burden; 95% CI, 0.48-0.86; p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: After successful resuscitation from pediatric cardiac arrest, systolic hypotension was common (55%). A higher burden of postresuscitation hypotension within the first 72 hours of ICU postresuscitation care was associated with significantly decreased discharge survival, after accounting for potential confounders including number of doses of epinephrine, arrest location, and arrest etiology due to airway obstruction or trauma.

Apneic Oxygenation As a Quality Improvement Intervention in an Academic PICU.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if the use of apneic oxygenation during tracheal intubation in children is feasible and would decrease the occurrence of oxygen desaturation. DESIGN: Prospective pre/post observational study. SETTING: A large single-center noncardiac PICU in North America. PATIENTS: All patients less than 18 years old who underwent primary tracheal intubation from August 1, 2014, to September 30, 2018. INTERVENTIONS: Implementation of apneic oxygenation for all primary tracheal intubation as quality improvement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Total of 1,373 tracheal intubations (661 preimplementation and 712 postimplementation) took place during study period. Within 2 months, apneic oxygenation use reached to predefined adherence threshold (> 80% of primary tracheal intubations) after implementation and sustained at greater than 70% level throughout the postimplementation. Between the preimplementation and postimplementation, no significant differences were observed in patient demographics, difficult airway features, or providers. Respiratory and procedural indications were more common during preintervention. Video laryngoscopy devices were used more often during the postimplementation (pre 5% vs post 75%; p < 0.001). Moderate oxygen desaturation less than 80% were observed in fewer tracheal intubations after apneic oxygenation implementation (pre 15.4% vs post 11.8%; p = 0.049); severe oxygen desaturation less than 70% was also observed in fewer tracheal intubations after implementation (pre 10.4% vs post 7.2%; p = 0.032). Hemodynamic tracheal intubation associated events (i.e., cardiac arrests, hypotension, dysrhythmia) were unchanged (pre 3.2% vs post 2.0%; p = 0.155). Multivariable analyses showed apneic oxygenation implementation was significantly associated with a decrease in moderate desaturation less than 80% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.88) and with severe desaturation less than 70% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.96) while adjusting for tracheal intubation indications and device. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of apneic oxygenation in PICU was feasible, and was associated with significant reduction in moderate and severe oxygen desaturation. Use of apneic oxygenation should be considered when intubating critically ill children.

Clinical Impact of External Laryngeal Manipulation During Laryngoscopy on Tracheal Intubation Success in Critically Ill Children.

OBJECTIVES: External laryngeal manipulation is a commonly used maneuver to improve visualization of the glottis during tracheal intubation in children. However, the effectiveness to improve tracheal intubation attempt success rate in the nonanesthesia setting is not clear. The study objective was to evaluate the association between external laryngeal manipulation use and initial tracheal intubation attempt success in PICUs. DESIGN: A retrospective observational study using a multicenter emergency airway quality improvement registry. SETTING: Thirty-five PICUs within general and children's hospitals (29 in the United States, three in Canada, one in Japan, one in Singapore, and one in New Zealand). PATIENTS: Critically ill children (< 18 years) undergoing initial tracheal intubation with direct laryngoscopy in PICUs between July 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Propensity score-matched analysis was performed to evaluate the association between external laryngeal manipulation and initial attempt success while adjusting for underlying differences in patient and clinical care factors: age, obesity, tracheal intubation indications, difficult airway features, provider training level, and neuromuscular blockade use. External laryngeal manipulation was defined as any external force to the neck during laryngoscopy. Of the 7,825 tracheal intubations, the initial tracheal intubation attempt was successful in 1,935/3,274 intubations (59%) with external laryngeal manipulation and 3,086/4,551 (68%) without external laryngeal manipulation (unadjusted odds ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.62-0.75; p < 0.001). In propensity score-matched analysis, external laryngeal manipulation remained associated with lower initial tracheal intubation attempt success (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.95; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: External laryngeal manipulation during direct laryngoscopy was associated with lower initial tracheal intubation attempt success in critically ill children, even after adjusting for underlying differences in patient factors and provider levels. The indiscriminate use of external laryngeal manipulation cannot be recommended.