The use of capnography and the availability of airway equipment on Intensive Care Units in the UK and the Republic of Ireland

Summary At least 20% of reported major adverse airway events occur on the intensive care unit. This study surveyed 315 (96%) of all general, satellite, hepatobiliary, cardiac and neuro‐intensive care units in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, finding that only 100 (32%) units always use capnograph...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anaesthesia 2010-05, Vol.65 (5), p.462-467
Main Authors: Georgiou, A. P., Gouldson, S., Amphlett, A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Airway management
Anesthesia
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Availability
Biological and medical sciences
Capnography - utilization
Guideline Adherence
Humans
Intensive care
Intensive Care Units - standards
Intensive Care Units - statistics & numerical data
Intubation, Intratracheal - instrumentation
Intubation, Intratracheal - standards
Ireland
Medical equipment
Medical sciences
Monitoring, Physiologic - instrumentation
Monitoring, Physiologic - standards
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Respiration, Artificial - standards
Safety Management - methods
Safety Management - standards
United Kingdom
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Summary:Summary At least 20% of reported major adverse airway events occur on the intensive care unit. This study surveyed 315 (96%) of all general, satellite, hepatobiliary, cardiac and neuro‐intensive care units in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, finding that only 100 (32%) units always use capnography for tracheal intubation while only 80 (25%) always use capnography for continuous monitoring of patients requiring controlled ventilation. Three hundred and ten (98%) units utilise a checklist of airway equipment, 311 (99%) check its functionality on a daily basis and 296 (94%) units have access to a bronchoscope. Whilst 297 (94%) ICUs have an airway trolley, sufficient equipment for unanticipated difficult intubation was only seen on 33 (10%) of units. Guidelines addressing minimum standards for monitoring and airway safety on ICU are not being met and remain below the standard expected.
ISSN:0003-2409
1365-2044
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2044.2010.06308.x