Effectiveness of three doses of succinylcholine in rapid sequence induction

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid sequence intubation is a procedure that minimizes the time required to guarantee the respiratory airway in patients with high risk of bronchoaspiration.
Objectives: To compare the quality of intubation with three doses of succinylcholine in rapid sequence induction in patients with full stomach, as well as the side effects of such drugs.
Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the quality of intubation with rapid sequence intubation in emergency patients and with full stomach. The group I was administered 0.4 mg/kg of succinylcholine; the group II, 0.6 mg/kg; and the group III 1 mg/kg. The respiratory airway was assessed in all patients. The study was carried out in Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital, between August 2013 and 2016.
Results: The time of visualization of the vocal folds was fast in the three groups. The best results were obtained in the group III, followed by the group II. The intubation conditions were excellent in the group III (90 %), good in the group II (80 %), and fair in the group I (70 %). The hemodynamic variables showed significant differences among the three groups (p= 0.008).
Conclusions: The effectiveness was determined of using three doses of succinylcholine in rapid sequence intubation, with optimal and safe intubation when succinylcholine was used at doses of 1 mg/kg, but it had a higher percentage of hemodynamic alterations as adverse effects.