An International Factorial Vignette-Based Survey of Intubation Decisions in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

Christopher J. Yarnell*, Arviy Paranthaman, Peter Reardon, Federico Angriman, Thiago Bassi, Giacomo Bellani, Laurent Brochard, Harm Jan De Grooth, Laura Dragoi, Syafruddin Gaus, Paul Glover, Ewan C. Goligher, Kimberley Lewis, Baoli Li, Hashim Kareemi, Bharath Kumar Tirupakuzhi Vijayaraghavan, Sangeeta Mehta, Ricard Mellado-Artigas, Julie Moore, Idunn MorrisGeorgiana Roman-Sarita, Tai Pham, Jariya Sereeyotin, George Tomlinson, Hannah Wozniak, Takeshi Yoshida, Rob Fowler,

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Intubation is a common procedure in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), with minimal evidence to guide decision-making. We conducted a survey of when to intubate patients with AHRF to measure the influence of clinical variables on intubation decision-making and quantify variability. DESIGN: Factorial vignette-based survey asking “Would you recommend intubation?” Respondents selected an ordinal recommendation from a 5-point scale ranging from “Definite no” to “Definite yes” for up to ten randomly allocated vignettes. We used Bayesian proportional odds modeling, with clustering by individual, country, and region, to calculate mean odds ratios (ORs) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs). SETTING: Anonymous web-based survey. SUBJECTS: Clinicians involved in the decision to intubate. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Between September 2023 and January 2024, 2,294 respondents entered 17,235 vignette responses in 74 countries (most common: Canada [29%], United States [26%], France [9%], Japan [8%], and Thailand [5%]). Respondents were attending physicians (63%), nurses (13%), trainee physicians (9%), respiratory therapists (9%), and other (6%). Lower oxygen saturation, higher Fio2, noninvasive ventilation compared with high-flow, tachypnea, neck muscle use, abdominal paradox, drowsiness, and inability to obey were associated with increased odds of intubation; diagnosis, vasopressors, and duration of symptoms were not. Nurses were less likely than physicians to recommend intubation. Within a country, the odds of recommending intubation changed between clinicians by an average factor of 2.60; within a region, the same odds changed between countries by 1.56. Respondents from Canada (OR, 0.53; CrI, 0.40–0.70) and the United States (OR, 0.63; CrI, 0.48–0.84) were less likely to recommend intubation than respondents from most other countries. CONCLUSIONS: In this international, multiprofessional survey of 2294 clinicians, intubation for patients with AHRF was mostly decided based on oxygenation, breathing pattern, and consciousness, but there was important variation across individuals and countries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e117-e131
JournalCritical care medicine
Volume53
Issue number1
Early online date22 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2025

Keywords

  • acute hypoxemic respiratory failure
  • endotracheal intubation
  • healthcare surveys
  • multilevel analyses

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An International Factorial Vignette-Based Survey of Intubation Decisions in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this