Efficacy and Safety of Using High-Flow Nasal Oxygenation in Patients Undergoing Rapid Sequence Intubation

To assess the efficacy and safety of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy in patients undergoing rapid sequence intubation (RSI) for emergency abdominal surgery. HFNO of 60 L.min at an inspiratory oxygen fraction of 1 was delivered 4 min before laryngoscopy and maintained until the patient was intubated, and correct intubation was verified by the appearance of the end-tidal CO (EtCO ) waveform. Transcutaneous oxygenation (SpO ), heart rate and non-invasive mean arterial pressure were monitored at baseline (T0), after 4 min on HFNO (T1) and at the time of laryngoscopy (T2) and endotracheal intubation (ETI) (T3). An SpO of