The use of cricoid pressure during rapid sequence induction in trauma patients -UK and European practice compared

摘要

Introduction: There is ongoing debate and conflicting evidence surrounding the place of cricoid pressure (CP) as parr of a rapid sequence induction (RSI) of anaesthesia. This study investigated the current use of CP during trauma RSI and compared reported practice in the UK with the rest of Europe.Methods: An anonymised, web-based survey was sent to all clinicians registered as European Trauma Course instructors. Results: CP use was reported by 83.1% of UK respondents and 39.4% from the rest of Europe, with an overall reported use of 49.8%. Anaesthetists use CP less commonly (35.6%) than clinicians from other specialties (63.6%). The most common reason given for not using CP (76.7%) was a perceived lack of evidence of effectiveness. Conclusion: Generally the use of CP appears to be in decline with only half of all clinicians reporting to use it; however it remains much more commonly used in the UK than the rest of Europe.