Tracheal Intubation-related adverse events in pediatrics anesthesia in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND

Tracheal intubation is a common intervention for many pediatric surgical patients. Even though it can be lifesaving, it carries a risk of morbidity and even mortality. Evidence is lacking regarding the adverse events related to pediatric intubation in Ethiopia. This study is aimed to assess the scale of tracheal intubation-related adverse events with its associated factors in pediatrics surgical patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 310 pediatric surgical patients who underwent major surgery from December 30, 2019, to February 30, 2020. All pediatrics patients scheduled for surgery under general anesthesia in the study period were included in this study. Data with complete information were entered into Epi Info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 22 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression were computed to identify factors associated with tracheal intubation-related adverse events. The level of statistical significance was declared at a P-value of less than .05.

RESULT

In this study, the overall incidence of tracheal intubation-related adverse events in pediatrics patients was 36.5%. Being a neonate (AOR = 4.13, 95% CI: 1.26-13.49), emergency surgery (AOR = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.41-8.13), difficult intubation (AOR, 4.08, 95% CI: 1.01-7.50), intubation without using premedication (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.45-10.83), intubation without using muscle relaxant (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.10-8.14), and tracheal intubation attempted more than three times (AOR = 3.92, 95% CI: 0.16-7.39) were identified as independent predictors of tracheal intubation-related adverse events.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The incidence of tracheal intubation-related adverse events in pediatric surgical patients is high. Anesthesia professionals should be vigilant and have a preplanned strategy to avoid intubation-related adverse events, especially in high-risk patients. The use of difficult airway algorithms, oxygen saturation monitoring, and training in simulation room are very important strategies to help reduce patient harm.