Modern practice involves the passing of a ‘Bougie’, a thin tube, past the vocal cords and over which the endotracheal tube is then passed. The bougie is then removed and an inbuilt cuff at the end of the tube is inflated, (via a thin secondary tube and a syringe), to hold it in place and prevent aspiration of stomach contents. The position of the tube in the trachea can be confirmed in a number of ways, including observing increasing end tidal carbon dioxide, auscultation of both lungs and stomach, chest movement, and misting of the tube. Postintubation management
Malpositioning of the endotracheal tube (in a bronchus, above the glottis, or in the esophagus) should be excluded by confirmation of end tidal CO2, auscultation and observation of bilateral chest rise. One important difference between RSI and routine tracheal intubation is that the practitioner does not typically manually assist the ventilation of the lungs after the onset of general anesthesia and cessation of breathing, until the trachea has been intubated and the cuff has been inflated. Additional considerations
Age can play a role in whether or not the procedure is warranted, and is commonly needed in younger persons. The clinician that performs RSI must be skilled in tracheal intubation and also in bag valve mask ventilation. Alternative airway management devices must be immediately available, in the event the trachea cannot be intubated using conventional techniques. Such devices include the combitube and the laryngeal mask airway.
It is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist. Usual doses for midazolam are 1 mg to 2 mg where the older people receive smaller doses and obese people receive higher doses. Midazolam is metabolised in the liver and is excreted through the kidneys. When midazolam is used alone, it has few side effects, but can cause respiratory depression if being used together with fentanyl. Fentanyl – It is a synthetic, centrally-acting opioid. It suppresses pain and sympathetic stimulation. Sympathetic stimulation can cause further injury to those with heart disease, aortic dissection, and aortic aneurysm. Fentanyl is ideal because of its rapid onset, lack of histamine release, high lipophilicity, and short duration of action. The dosage is between 1 and 3 μg/kg. It is metabolised by liver. The most significant side effect is respiratory depression. Atropine – The process of intubation can cause massive stimulation to vagus nerve, causing bradycardia (low heart rate). The people who are at increased risk of bradycardia are neonates and children. This does not happen in adults because sympathetic stimulation overpowers the vagal response. However, for those adults who have received drugs such as beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, and digoxin have an increased risk of developing bradycardia. Atropine is a muscarinic receptor antagonist, thus blocking the vagal response. The dose is 0.01 mg/kg. It has quick onset of action, and common side effects are: increased heart rate, dry mouth, flushing, and urinary retention.