Pragmatic Trial Examining Oxygenation Prior to Intubation

Clinicians perform rapid sequence induction, laryngoscopy, and tracheal intubation for more than 5 million critically ill adults as a part of clinical care each year in the United States. One-in-ten emergency tracheal intubations is complicated by life-threatening hypoxemia. Administering supplemental oxygen prior to induction and intubation ("preoxygenation") decreases the risk of life-threatening hypoxemia. In current clinical practice, the most common methods for preoxygenation are non-invasive positive pressure ventilation and facemask oxygen. Prior trials comparing non-invasive positive pressure ventilation and facemask oxygen for preoxygenation have been small and have yielded conflicting results. A better understanding of the comparative effectiveness of these two common, standard-of-care approaches to preoxygenation could improve the care clinicians deliver and patient outcomes.