Use of the intubating laryngeal mask airway in the emergency department: A ten-year retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: Extraglottic devices, such as the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA), facilitate ventilation and oxygenation and are useful for emergency airway management, especially as rescue devices. In the operating room setting the ILMA has been highly successful. However, its performance in the ED has not been described. We sought to describe the indications for and success of the ILMA when used in the ED. METHODS: We performed retrospective, observational study of patients who had an LMA® Fastrach™ (hereafter termed ILMA) placed in a single ED between 2007 and 2017. Patients were identified by keyword search of ED notes in the electronic medical record. Trained abstractors reviewed charts and videos to determine patient characteristics, indication for ILMA placement, success of oxygenation and ventilation, intubation methods and success, and complications related to the device. RESULTS: During the study period 218 patients had an ILMA placed in the ED. The ILMA was used as a primary device in 118 patients (54%), and as a rescue device in 100 patients (46%). The median number of ILMA uses per faculty physician during the study period was 3. The ILMA oxygenated and ventilated successfully in 212 instances (98%), including 96 times (96%) when used as a rescue airway. Failure of oxygenation was due to tracheal injury (2), abnormal laryngeal inlet anatomy (2), or poor operator technique (1). Intubation through the ILMA was successful in 159 of 192 patients (83%), including a success rate of 81% (112 of 139 patients) with blind intubation. CONCLUSION: The ILMA was highly successful in oxygenation, with reasonable intubation success, even when used infrequently by emergency physicians. The ILMA should be considered a valuable primary and rescue intubation device in the ED.

Incidence and Causes of Iatrogenic Hypoglycemia in the Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION: Hypoglycemia is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and has potential for serious morbidity. The incidence and causes of iatrogenic hypoglycemia are not known. We aim to describe how often the cause of ED hypoglycemia is iatrogenic and to identify its specific causes. METHODS: We included adult patients with a chief complaint or ED diagnosis of hypoglycemia, or an ED glucose value of ≤70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) between 2009-2014. Two independent abstractors each reviewed charts of patients with an initial glucose ≤ 50 mg/dL, or initial glucose ≥ 70 mg/dL with a subsequent glucose ≤ 50 mg/dL, to determine if the hypoglycemia was caused by iatrogenesis. The data analysis was descriptive. RESULTS: We reviewed the charts of 591 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Of these 591 patients, 99 (17%; 95% confidence interval, 14-20%) were classified as iatrogenic. Of these 99 patients, 61 (61%) cases of hypoglycemia were caused by insulin administration and 38 (38%) were caused by unrecognized malnutrition. Of the 61 patients with iatrogenic hypoglycemia after ED insulin administration, 45 and 15 patients received insulin for hyperkalemia and uncomplicated hyperglycemia, respectively. One patient received insulin for diabetic ketoacidosis. CONCLUSION: In ED patients with hypoglycemia, iatrogenic causes are relatively common. The most frequent cause was insulin administration for hyperkalemia and uncomplicated hyperglycemia. Additionally, patients at risk of hypoglycemia in the absence of insulin, including those with alcohol intoxication or poor nutritional status, should be monitored closely in the ED.

Identifying Emergency Department Patients at Low Risk for a Variceal Source of Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the likelihood of a variceal versus nonvariceal source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) guides therapy, but can be difficult to determine on clinical grounds. The objective of this study was to determine if there are easily ascertainable clinical and laboratory findings that can identify a patient as low risk for a variceal source of hemorrhage. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult ED patients with UGIB between January 2008 and December 2014 who had upper endoscopy performed during hospitalization. Clinical and laboratory data were abstracted from the medical record. The source of the UGIB was defined as variceal or nonvariceal based on endoscopic reports. Binary recursive partitioning was utilized to create a clinical decision rule. The rule was internally validated and test characteristics were calculated with 1,000 bootstrap replications. RESULTS: A total of 719 patients were identified; mean age was 55 years and 61% were male. There were 71 (10%) patients with a variceal UGIB identified on endoscopy. Binary recursive partitioning yielded a two-step decision rule (platelet count > 200 × 109 /L and an international normalized ratio [INR] < 1.3), which identified patients who were low risk for a variceal source of hemorrhage. For the bootstrapped samples, the rule performed with 97% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] = 91%-100%) and 49% specificity (95% CI = 44%-53%). CONCLUSION: Although this derivation study must be externally validated before widespread use, patients presenting to the ED with an acute UGIB with platelet count of >200 × 109 /L and an INR of <1.3 may be at very low risk for a variceal source of their upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage.