The number of tracheal intubation attempts matters! A prospective multi-institutional pediatric observational study

Table 3 Univariate analysis for desaturation, severe desaturation, adverse tracheal intubation associated events (TIAEs) and severe TIAEs

	1 attempt (n = 1256)	2 attempts (n = 503)	≥ 3 attempts (n = 321)	p-value
Desaturations (<80 %)^a	202 (16 %)	180 (36 %)	179 (56 %)	<0.001
Severe desaturations (<70 %)^b	153 (12 %)	150 (30 %)	142 (44 %)	<0.001
Any TIAEs^c	124 (10 %)	147 (29 %)	122 (38 %)	<0.001
Severe TIAEs	67 (5 %)	42 (8 %)	30 (9 %)	0.008

P-value was calculated by Chi-square test
Our sensitivity analysis limited to tracheal intubations (TIs) with pre-oxygenation SpO2 ≥ 90 % yielded a similar result (N = 1753): Desaturation (<80 %) was seen in 15 % of TIs with one attempt, 39 % in TIs with two attempts 59 % in TIs with three attempts (p < 0.001, Chi-square); severe desaturation (<70 %) was seen in 9 % of TIs with one attempt, 29 % in TIs with two attempts 44 % in TIs with three attempts (p < 0.001, Chi-square)
^aDesaturation is defined as lowest pulse oximetry <80 % in patients with pulse oximetry >80 % after pre-oxygenation
^bSevere desaturation is defined as lowest pulse oximetry <70 % in patients with pulse oximetry >70 % after pre-oxygenation
^cTIAE denotes tracheal intubation associated events

ISSN: 1471-2431