RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Examination of Patterns in Intubation by an Emergency Airway Team at a Large Academic Center: Higher Frequency During Daytime Hours
JF Respiratory Care
FD American Association for Respiratory Care
SP 743
OP 748
DO 10.4187/respcare.02432
VO 59
IS 5
A1 M Christopher Adams
A1 Ulrich Schmidt
A1 Dean R Hess
A1 Henry T Stelfox
A1 Edward A Bittner
YR 2014
UL http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/59/5/743.abstract
AB BACKGROUND: Emergency airway management represents an event with high acuity but unpredictable frequency and therefore presents a challenge for adequate staffing. Given circadian and seasonal variations, we hypothesized that the majority of emergency airway events happen after normal working hours and during the winter months. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 1,482 intubations by an emergency airway team over a 3-y period was performed. The data were obtained from hospitalized patients who required emergency airway management in a large academic medical center. A database of emergency airway consultations was analyzed for intubation time and date information, as well as geographic location within the hospital. RESULTS: A greater percentage of emergency intubations occurred during day shift hours (7 am to 7 pm) compared with night shift hours, 57% and 43%, respectively (P < .01). The monthly frequency of intubations was not uniformly distributed across the year (P < .01). The greatest percentage of intubations was performed in February (10.9%), with the lowest being recorded in August (4.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Emergency airway service utilization is highest during daytime hours, with seasonal variations composed of higher consults in the winter and lower consults in the summer.