Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 25, no. 2 (2006): 501-509 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.2.501 © 2006 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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DataWatch

Paramedic Intubation Errors: Isolated Events Or Symptoms Of Larger Problems?

Henry E. Wang, Judith R. Lave, Carl A. Sirio and Donald M. Yealy

Paramedics provide life-saving emergency medical care to patients in the out-of-hospital setting, but only selected emergency interventions have proved to be safe or effective. Endotracheal intubation (the insertion of an emergency breathing tube into the trachea) is an important and high-profile procedure performed by paramedics. In our study population, we found that errors occurred in 22 percent of intubation attempts, with a frequency of up to 40 percent in selected ambulance systems. These findings indicate frequent errors associated with this life-saving technique. These events might be emblematic of larger issues in the structure and delivery of out-of-hospital emergency care.

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