Should EM clinicians be allowed to RSI?

RSI delivered by EM clinicians is common place throughout the globe, in the UK however it still seems a contentious topic, with recent data showing only 20% of ED RSIs being performed by EM clinicians.

I was lucky enough to be asked to talk at the ICS SoA 2016 conference on the topic of EM doctors carrying out RSI's in the UK and this podcast is a copy of that talk.

I hope it provides some context both to UK practitioners and also to those from other countries, who may not understand what the big deal is all about.

Simon

References

A randomized controlled trial on the effect of educational interventions in promoting airway management skill maintenance.Randomized controlled trial. Kovacs G, et al. Ann Emerg Med. 2000

Acute airway management in the emergency department by non-anesthesiologists. Review article. Kovacs G, et al. Can J Anaesth. 2004

Achieving house staff competence in emergency airway management: results of a teaching program using a computerized patient simulator. Mayo PH, et al. Crit Care Med. 2004

The who, where, and what of rapid sequence intubation: prospective observational study of emergency RSI outside the operating theatre. Reid C, et al. Emerg Med J. 2004

Rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia in UK emergency departments: a national census. Benger J, et al. Emerg Med J. 2011.

Tracheal intubation in an urban emergency department in Scotland: a prospective, observational study of 3738 intubations. Kerslake D, et al. Resuscitation. 2015

Systematic review and meta-analysis of first-pass success rates in emergency department intubation: Creating a benchmark for emergency airway care. Park L, et al. Emerg Med Australas. 2016

Scottish Intensive Care Society: RSI

Difficult Airway Society Guidelines

RCOA Anaesthesia in the Emergency Department Guidelines; Chapter 6.1