The effect of full protective gear on intubation performance by hospital medical personnel

Objective: To assess the Influence of protective gear on intubation perform ance. Design: Prospective, controlled measurement of duration and quality o f intubations performed on mannequins by medical personnel with and without protective gear in a crossover design. Participants: Eight teams each comp rising an anesthesiologist and a nurse. Results: Intubation duration with a nd without chemical warfare gear was 69.2 +/- 7 and 47.3 +/- 6 seconds (mea n +/- SEM), respectively (p < 0.05), Moreover, rating of intubation quality as "very good" by the anesthesiologists declined significantly from 62.5% without chemical, warfare protective gear to 6.25% with the garment and mas k. Tube fixation was the rate-limiting step when performed with protective gear (p < 0.05); it was assessed by 81% of the anesthesiologists as the cri tical step. A learning curve was not observed during the study. Conclusion: Protective gear causes a significant prolongation of intubation duration; however, endotracheal intubation can be performed effectively. Technical im provements are warranted for tube fixation because it is the critical step.