Emergency airway management events are common, unpredictable and associated with high complication rates.

This multicentre prospective observational study across eight acute NHS hospitals in southeast England reports the incidence and nature of non-theatre emergency airway management events.

Data were collected from non-theatre emergency airway management, including adverse events, over a continuous 28-day window, and recorded on an electronic case report form.

Events were classified according to type (advanced airway; simple airway; and cardiac arrest). A total of 166 events were recorded, with 111 advanced airway events involving tracheal intubation or tracheostomy management.

Senior personnel with three or more years of airway management experience were present for 105/111 (95%) advanced airway management episodes.

There was a significant reduction in consultant or equivalent presence out-of-hours (21/64, 33%) vs. in-hours (34/47, 72%) (p < 0.001). We found high utilisation of videolaryngoscopy (95/106, 90%) and universal use of capnography for all advanced airway management events.

This was lower during cardiac arrest when videolaryngoscopy was used in 11/16 (69%) of tracheal intubations and capnography in 21/32 (66%) of all cardiac arrest episodes. Adverse outcomes during advanced airway management