Can ANYONE tell me the number of endotracheal intubations performed by
EMT or Paramedics each year in the US?

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 21 Jun 2004 03:23 PDT

I have found a document that gives an estimate of the number of
endotracheal intubations performed outside of the operating room in
the US each year. Would this figure be of use?

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Clarification of Question by crystal4290-ga on 21 Jun 2004 04:13 PDT

Most definately!!!!  Thank you so much for your efforts!  Please provide the answer.

Estimates of the frequency of endotracheal intubations are
surprisingly elusive. The best source I have found gives a figure of
three million:

"Statistics

? Approximately three million intubations are performed outside of the
operating room in the United States each year. A comparison reveals
that as many as twenty percent of intubation attempts may result in
esophageal intubations. This can carry a significant risk of morbidity
and mortality.

? The traditional methods of assessing endotracheal tube placement are
the assessment of breath sounds, and equal chest expansion. However,
they may not always be reliable.

? The most reliable and easiest method of determining endotracheal
tube placement is the detection of carbon dioxide in the patient?s
exhaled gas."

Welch Allyn: Protocol Clinical Support
http://www.monitoring.welchallyn.com/pdfs/clinicalsupport/CO2_basics.pdf

This was the Google search string that led me to the document quoted above:

Google Web Search: "endotracheal" + "intubation" + "million" + "year"
+ "in the united states"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=endotracheal+intubation+million+year+%22in+the+united+states

I hope this helps! If clarification is needed, please feel free to ask.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Good answer, Pinkfreud, that certainly helps me.  Thank you for your
excellent research.