Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation May Be Beneficial During ICU Intubation

There was less hypoxia, and no more aspiration, among patients receiving BVM ventilation.

The dogma of rapid sequence intubation suggests that the benefits of positive-pressure ventilation for preventing hypoxia during intubation are not worth the increased aspiration risk. To test that hypothesis, researchers randomized 401 patients needing endotracheal intubation at seven U.S. intensive care units (ICUs) to receive bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation between induction and laryngoscopy or no BVM ventilation unless needed to treat hypoxia.

All preoxygenation methods (including BVM) were allowed before induction/paralysis in either group at the treating team's discretion. More patients in the BVM group (40%) received BVM before induction than in the no-BVM group (11%). The no-BVM group was more likely to receive preoxygenation with a…

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation May Be Beneficial During ICU Intubation

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Reviewing Author