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The HEAVEN tool (Hypoxemia, Extremes of size, Anatomic distortion, Vomit/blood/fluid in the airway, Exsanguination/suspected anemia, Neck mobility limitations) was developed using a large air-transport registry to predict airway difficulty (Air Med J 2017; 36:195). In order to validate whether it predicts poor laryngoscopic view and difficult intubation, researchers retrospectively analyzed data for 5137 patients who underwent rapid sequence intubation (RSI) by air medical crews at 160 U.S. sites. Crews documented HEAVEN criteria prior to initiating RSI using a checklist and documented the results of RSI afterwards.
Video laryngoscopy was documented in 3614 patients, direct laryngoscopy in 856, and both in 667. Intubation was successful in 9…