RSI procedure receives mixed message in Colo.

By Pam Zubeck
Colorado Springs Gazette
Copyright 2007 The Colorado Springs Gazette

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — As the medical community debates how or whether a lifesaving medical procedure should be performed by paramedics, the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s physician adviser has taken two stances on the issue.

Marilyn Gifford, head of Memorial Health System’s emergency medicine and physician adviser to the Colorado Springs Fire Department, recently expressed concerns about the procedure even though a year ago she applied for permission for firefighters to use it.

At issue is rapid sequence intubation, an emergency procedure using drugs to temporarily paralyze a patient’s jaw so a tube can be inserted to allow the patient to breathe.

Full Story: Procedure by AMR investigated since summer