No Desat: Maximally Aggressive Preoxygenation

imagesPatients requiring endotracheal intubation in the emergency department (ED) are at a much higher risk for hypoxemia, compared to patients electively intubated in the operating room. Pulmonary disease, anemia, low respiratory drive, decreased ability to protect the airway, and severe illness causing high metabolic demand all contribute to this risk.


imagesMaximally aggressive preoxygenation, in conjunction with other strategies to prevent desaturation, is required in all ED intubations


imagesThe goal of preoxygenation is to allow the longest apneic time possible before hypoxemia


imagesOxygen saturation begins to fall precipitously below 93%. It may take only a few seconds before the saturation drops below 70%, at which point the incidence of dysrhythmias, hypoxic brain injury, and death increase greatly.


imagesWhile young healthy patients may remain well oxygenated for 5 minutes or more after preoxygenation, those who are acutely ill with poor lung physiology and high metabolic demands can become hypoxic in seconds regardless of preinduction oxygen saturation. The preoxygenation strategy employed should be tailored to the patient on the basis of their risk of hypoxemia.


imagesNO DESAT means Nasal Oxygen During Efforts Securing A Tube


imagesStrategies for oxygenating patients at both low and high risk for desaturation are discussed later


INDICATIONS



imagesAll patients requiring intubation in the ED


CONTRAINDICATIONS



imagesNone


SUPPLIES



imagesNasal cannula (NC)


imagesBag-valve mask (BVM)


imagesPositive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) valve


imagesNonrebreather (NRB) mask


imagesContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine or ventilator


imagesBilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP)/CPAP mask



imagesGeneral Basic Steps


   imagesPreoxygenate using NRB


   imagesPreoxygenate with head of bed elevated


   imagesPreoxygenate for at least 3 minutes or eight vital capacity breaths


   imagesContinue NC at 15 L/min for apneic oxygenation


   imagesFor patients with shunt physiology, preoxygenate with positive pressure


   imagesFor patients at risk for critical acidosis, continue ventilations during apneic period while waiting for full paralysis


TECHNIQUE



imagesPlace NRB mask with oxygen flow at maximal flow rate


   imagesTurn oxygen regulator to maximal flow


   imagesTurn knob counterclockwise till it will turn no further


   imagesThe oxygen flow should be easily audible


   imagesThis will deliver 30 to 60 L/min of oxygen and an FIO2 close to 90%


   imagesStandard NRB masks set to 15 L/min deliver only around 70% FIO2


imagesPlace an NC on all patients for preoxygenation and apneic oxygenation


   imagesPlace the NC beneath the NRB mask or BiPAP/BVM at 4 to 6 L/min before induction


   imagesAfter induction, turn flow rate up to 15 L/min for apneic oxygenation


   imagesBefore induction the NC will bring inspired FIO2 closer to 100%


   imagesDuring apneic period, oxygen will flow into alveoli, significantly increasing the time before the patient becomes hypoxic


   imagesDuring apnea, oxygen supplied by the NC flows from the nasopharynx to the alveoli because of a slightly subatmospheric pressure in the alveoli. The pressure gradient exists because oxygen moves out of the alveoli faster than CO2 moves into the alveoli.


   imagesApneic oxygenation can be remembered with the mnemonic NO DESAT


imagesPreoxygenate with the head of the bed elevated


   imagesSet the head of the bed to at least 20 degrees during preoxygenation


   imagesFor immobilized patients, place the bed in reverse Trendelenburg to at least 20 degrees


   imagesSupine positioning leads to atelectasis, incomplete breaths, and less oxygenation, compared with upright positioning


   imagesPatients preoxygenated in head-elevated position achieve better preoxygenation and take longer to reach hypoxemia


   imagesHead-elevated positioning has the added benefit of better laryngeal exposure during laryngoscopy


imagesPreoxygenate for at least 3 minutes


   imagesPatients should remain on NRB/NC or BiPAP/NC for a full 3 minutes


   imagesPreoxygenating for 3 minutes ensures full denitrogenation of the residual capacity of the lungs and maximal hemoglobin oxygen saturation


   imagesIn cooperative patients eight vital capacity breaths can achieve similar levels of oxygen saturation and denitrogenation


PREOXYGENATION STEPS FOR PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK FOR DESATURATION



imagesFor patients not achieving 100% oxygen saturation after 3 minutes of NRB/NC or with suspected shunt physiology, preoxygenate with noninvasive ventilation or BVM with PEEP valve


   imagesPlace the patient on BiPAP or CPAP with 100% FIO2 and PEEP of at least 5 for 3 minutes Or


   imagesAllow the patient to spontaneously breathe via BVM with a PEEP valve set to at least 5 for 3 minutes


   imagesPatients who do not reach 100% oxygen saturation with high FIO2 are likely to have shunt physiology, where alveoli have blood supply but are not receiving oxygen because of alveolar collapse, pulmonary edema, or pneumonia. Positive pressure will open these alveoli, allowing them to be oxygenated.


imagesContinue ventilations after induction and administration of paralytics for patients at high risk for critical acidosis


   imagesContinue ventilations via ventilator with BiPAP mask or BVM with PEEP valve while awaiting full paralysis


   imagesPatients who fail to achieve >95% oxygen saturation despite positive-pressure preoxygenation will likely desaturate to critical hypoxemia during the 2 minutes of apneic time required for full muscle relaxation after paralytic administration


   imagesWhen using BVM, bag gently with breath delivered slowly over 2 seconds with low tidal volumes (6 cc/kg) and at a rate of 10 to 12 per minute


   imagesGentle bagging should decrease risk of gastric insufflation and emesis. Inspiratory pressures <25 mm Hg are unlikely to overcome lower esophageal sphincter.


PULSE OXIMETRY LAG TIME



imagesBe mindful that the oxygen saturation on the screen does not accurately reflect the patient’s current oxygen saturation


imagesThe pulse oximetry value on the screen lags behind the patient’s blood oxygen saturation from 30 seconds to 2 minutes


imagesSicker patients have longer lag times. Hypothermia, low cardiac output, and vasopressor use may all increase this lag time.


SAFETY/QUALITY TIPS




imagesProcedural


   imagesApneic oxygenation requires a patent nasopharyngeal passage. This can be achieved with head elevation: Ear-to-sternal notch, face parallel to ceiling positioning, jaw thrust, and nasal trumpet.


   imagesThe NC for apneic oxygenation will require a third oxygen source


   imagesBefore preoxygenation, discuss the concept of apneic oxygenation with your team and respiratory therapist, as the concept may be new to some and the initial impulse may be to remove the NC after induction


   imagesA pulse oxymetry probe placed on the ear or forehead may reduce lag time as the blood here is closer to the central circulation


   imagesAvoid the use of cricoid pressure. It has not been shown to prevent emesis and aspiration and may limit preoxygenation and manual ventilation by compressing the trachea. If you decide to use it, release it if there is any difficulty with glottis visualization or tube passage.


imagesCognitive


   imagesPatients who are hypoxemic before preoxygenation or who do not achieve a high SpO2 > 95% with NRB/NC likely have shunt physiology and will need positive pressure via CPAP/BiPAP or BVM with PEEP valve for adequate preoxygenation


   imagesIn patients at high risk for desaturation, consider rocuronium over succinylcholine. Paralysis with rocuronium has been shown to lead to longer safe apneic times before hypoxemia, compared to succinylcholine. It is hypothesized that this is due to oxygen consumption from the defasciculation when using succinylcholine.


   imagesThe inflection point of the O2–Hg dissociation curve, where it goes into the steep portion of the curve, is 93%. After this point the patient will desaturate rapidly.

Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue

Aug 9, 2016 | Posted by in EMERGENCY MEDICINE | Comments Off on No Desat: Maximally Aggressive Preoxygenation

Full access? Get Clinical Tree

Get Clinical Tree app for offline access