Tuesday April 10, 2007
Cricoid Pressure - Avoiding the pitfall

Continuing our theme from yesterday on intubation / RSI,

There is a tendency to apply cricoid pressure on every patient during intubation but if difficult intubation is anticipated, using cricoid pressure is debatable because it should only be used with deep sedation to avoid laryngospasm. It is ineffective and even dangerous in a patient who still has reflexes.

Rapid sequence intubation should be used with cricoid pressure to reduce the risk of regurgitation and inhalation.



See a nice review The Cricoid Pressure - Dr. Sanjib Das Adhikary, Dr. Krishnan B. S. - Indian J. Anaesth. 2006; 50 (1) : 12 - 19