Not surprisingly, heavier patients had lower first-pass endotracheal tube success.  They also had succinylcholine under-dosed more often. Give yourself the best chance for success and optimize muscle relaxation in obese patients.

When intubating edentulous patients, using a smaller Macintosh curved blade (Mac 3 for men and Mac 2 for women) led to an improved glottic view.

After using ketamine for pediatric procedural sedation, 22% of children experienced negative behavioral symptoms measured 1-2 weeks after ED discharge. The most common symptoms were apathy/withdrawal and separation anxiety. Pre-procedural anxiety was the greatest predictor of negative behavioral changes.

Prophylactic ondansetron given with IV opiates did not decrease the rate of nausea or vomiting.

The primary outcome (quick and sustained headache relief) was achieved in 60% of the IV prochlorperazine + diphenhydramine group vs 31% in the IV hydromorphone group with a NNT of 4. As a result, the study was stopped early.

Using loss of wave capnography rather than gestalt assessment of relaxation after paralytic administration for RSI in the ED led to shorter time to intubation and increased first-pass success.

Applying an ice cube (inside a sterile glove) to the skin over a laceration for 2 minutes significantly reduced pain from local anesthetic injection.

We’ve all been taught to use the “sniffing position” when intubating patients in a supine position. However, when adding ramped positioning for pre-oxygenation and intubation, fidelity to the “sniffing position” degrades. A couple Australian anesthesiologists have written a letter to clarify the proper technique.

This study found it was mechanically impossible to maintain 30-40N of downward force during the laryngoscopy phase of RSI.

Calling out a verbal, pre-intubation checklist to make sure equipment was present and the intubation plan (and backup plan) was in place did not result in improved lowest oxygen saturation.  Read on to see why we shouldn't ditch the checklist just yet.