Does cricoid pressure reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration?

We investigate claims related to the application of cricoid pressure.

Claim 1. Cricoid pressure reduces the risk of pulmonary aspiration.
Claim 2. Landmark technique is able to accurately identify the cricoid cartilage.
Claim 3. Cricoid pressure should be routinely applied in all rapid-sequence intubations.

Our guest today is Dr. Jerome Crowley, an adult cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist at the Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Connect with us @DepthAnesthesia on Twitter or depthofanesthesia@gmail.com. Thanks for listening! Please rate us on iTunes and share with your colleagues. 

Music by Stephen Campbell, MD. 

Schematic representation of an endotracheal tube (ETT) inserted through the cricothyrotomy site and simultaneous ETT exchange via oral intubation aided by the WuScope laryngoscope (see Case 1).

An example of the WuScope laryngoscope.

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