SURGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH UNPLANNED INTUBATIONS

Currently, there is limited data addressing surgical factors that contribute to unplanned intubations (UIs). The American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) defines UIs as a circumstance that requires the unanticipated placement of an endotracheal tube or similar device, such as the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) or nasotracheal tube with ventilatory support, intraoperatively or within 30 days following surgery. Research shows that UIs are associated with elevated rates of patient mortality. This project’s primary aim was to provide a secondary analysis of the NSQIP dataset to determine correlation between UIs and specific surgical factors based on current literature. Data from the NSQIP dataset were examined between 2017 and 2019 to provide the most recent information while minimizing the influence of COVID-related effects. Choice of variables was based on findings from the literature review. This study should serve as a guide for future, more extensive investigations to guide practice.