Editor—We read with interest the article by Quinn and colleagues, which adds to our evolving knowledge of obstetric failed intubation. The paper confirms a lot of our own findings. Some of these findings are replicated in the USA, Brigham’s Women’s Hospital paper. Failed intubation rates are low in countries that have a high rate of general anaesthetic usage, such as South Africa: failed intuba...

This paper argues that self-interest and concern for others influence behavior through different cognitive systems. Self-interest is automatic, viscerally compelling, and often unconscious. Understanding one’s ethical and professional obligations to others, in contrast, often involves a more thoughtful process. The automatic nature of self-interest gives it a primal power to influence judgment ...