BACKGROUND The role of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the management of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is controversial. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of NIV in patients with ALI/ARDS, using a meta-analytic technique. METHODS We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for relevant studies published between 1995 and 2009, and included studies tha...

BACKGROUND Pre-hospital advanced airway management has been named one of the top-five research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care. Few studies have been made on paediatric pre-hospital advanced airway management. The aim of this study was to investigate pre-hospital endotracheal intubation success rate in children, first-pass success rates and complications related to p...

OBJECTIVES In the critically ill undergoing urgent endotracheal intubation by direct laryngoscopy, multiple attempts are often required with a higher complication rate due to the urgency, uncontrolled setting, comorbidities, and variability in expertise of operators. We hypothesized that Glidescope video laryngoscopy would be superior to direct laryngoscopy during urgent endotracheal intubation...

BACKGROUND Unrecognized esophageal intubations are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. No single confirmatory device has been shown to be 100 % accurate at ruling out esophageal intubations in the emergency department. Recent studies have demonstrated that point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may be a useful adjunct for confirming endotracheal tube placement; however, the a...

ARDS remains a lethal complication after major lung resections. The reported mortality ranges from 50% to 100%, with increased incidence and mortality rates in pneumonectomy patients. The pathogenesis of early ARDS is still not fully understood, and the majority of patients will require mechanical ventilation. A review of the literature reveals that the role of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in...

BACKGROUND A variety of videolaryngoscopes with angulated blade have been recently introduced into clinical practice. They provide an indirect view of the glottic structures in normal and challenging clinical settings. Despite the very good visualization of the laryngeal structures by these devices, the insertion and advancement of the endotracheal tube may be prolonged and occasionally fail as...

Tooth aspiration in adults during endotracheal intubation is very rare. There are several risk factors for this rare event such as old age, loose teeth, difficult intubation etc. which predispose patients for tooth aspiration in tracheobronchial tree in emergent endotracheal intubation. Although extraction of aspirated tooth with flexible bronchoscopy is a difficult and complex intervention, it...

Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is an abnormal communication between the trachea and esophagus. Iatrogenic TEF can be due to endotracheal intubation, rigid bronchoscopy or tracheostomy. Tracheostomy tube cuff volumes and pressures require constant monitoring to avoid tracheal injury. Acquired TEF which occurs after prolonged intubation, usually develops after 15-200 days of mechanical ventilati...

Endotracheal intubation is a common daily procedure used for sustaining life in premature and term neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit. This procedure can be associated with some iatrogenic complications. One of these complications is ingesting a laryngoscope light bulb, and it is an extremely rare complication in neonates. The consequences of ingestion or aspiration may be serious and...

CONTEXT Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) causes substantial morbidity. A silver-coated endotracheal tube has been designed to reduce VAP incidence by preventing bacterial colonization and biofilm formation. OBJECTIVE To determine whether a silver-coated endotracheal tube would reduce the incidence of microbiologically confirmed VAP. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective, random...