Emergency Medical Minute

Contributor: Alec Coston, MD Educational Pearls: What are nasal intubations and when do we use them? Nasal intubations function similarly to oral intubations with the end goal of passing an endotracheal tube (ETT) through vocal cords and into the trachea to allow for a patent and secure airway, but differ in the main access point for the ETT (nare v.s. mouth). Nasal Intubations are seldom preferred to oral intubations as they carry risk for inducing bleeding from trauma to the nasal passages.  Indications for nasal intubations include: Anatomical abnormalities that may make access through the mouth difficult (i.e. tumors, macroglossia, or rare dental hardware that clenches the jaw shut). Physiological states such as severe angioedema.  Nasal intubations are often done with the patient awake and could be advantageous if the patient is presenting in a severely hypoxic state such that prolonged hypoxia in a traditional RSI protocol may be detrimental. A 2023 retrospective analysis in Germany foun