title: Rapid sequence induction: a survey of practices in three French prehospital mobile emergency units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This prospective study was conducted in three mobile emergency and intensive care units.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients were over 15 years of age and were not in cardiac arrest. The study was to compare practices in the three units with the guidelines drawn up by the Commission of Experts so as to define the main parameters for quality assurance. All of the patients involved were considered to have full stomachs and required rapid sequence induction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This procedure comply the guidelines only in 45% of cases; in the other cases succinylcholine should have been administered (mobile emergency and intensive care unit A) and the Sellick manoeuvre should have been used (mobile emergency and intensive care unit A and B). Notwithstanding, these two centres treated more traumatized patients than mobile emergency and intensive care unit C, and use of the Sellick manoeuvre in such circumstances is questionable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More training and greater diffusion of the protocols are required, especially with regard to doctors who intervene intermittently.
authors: Département d'Anesthésie Réanimation, SAMU 21, Hôpital Général, Dijon Cedex, France.
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Jérémie
authors: Sandrine
authors: S
authors: Seltzer
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Lenfant
authors: Agnès
authors: A
authors: Ricard-Hibon
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Facon
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Cabrita
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Messant
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: d'Athis
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Freysz