Bacteraemia during direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation: A study using a multiple culture, large volume technique

S. Goldstein, G. L. Wolf, S. J. Kim, M. F. Sierra, C. Whitmire, E. M. Tolentino

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Bacteraemia secondary to or orotracheal intubation has been reported to occur in 0-5.3% of patients. Bacteraemia detection is dependent upon several factors including the volume of blood per culture and the number of cultures. Prior studies used small volumes of blood and one or two cultures, and may therefore have underestimated the incidence of bacteraemia. Sixty-two adult patients who underwent direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation were studied. Baseline blood cultures were sterile in all patients. After intubation, four blood cultures were obtained in ten minutes, with 10 ml being evenly divided between aerobic and anaerobic media. Two patients (3.2%) became bacteraemic. This is a lower incidence than occurs in association with other procedures for which The American Heart Association does not recommend administration of prophylactic antibiotics. Therefore, prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended prior to direct laryngoscopy. However when a prophylactic antibiotic is administered prior to surgery, it would be best to administer the antibiotic prior to direct laryngoscopy and intubation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)239-244
Number of pages6
JournalAnaesthesia and Intensive Care
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1997
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Infection: bacteraemia, endocarditis, laryngoscopy, intubation,
  • prophylactic antibiotics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
  • Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

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