Predicting Cardiovascular Collapse in Critically Ill Patients During Intubation Induction: A Prospective Observational Study.
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) – January 15, 2026
Source: PubMed
Summary
Patients experiencing peri-intubation cardiovascular collapse in the intensive care unit face a stark 74.2% mortality, compared to 20.6% for others. From 130 patients, 47.7% developed this critical event. Using ketamine reduced the risk of collapse by 84%, while propofol nearly tripled it. Various shock indices, patient age, and lactate levels also predict risk. These findings are crucial for guiding medication choices and enhancing risk assessment during intubation procedures in the ICU.
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the predictive significance of Shock Indices and induction agents in predicting the risk of Peri-Intubation Cardiovascular Collapse (PIC) during intubation in the ICU. Materials and Methods: A total of 130 patients were analyzed in the study after dividing them into 2 groups based on the definition of PIC as Patients with PIC and Non-PIC Patients. PIC was defined as the detection of at least SBP 90 mmHg with >15 mL/kg crystalloid fluid infusion, or development of cardiac arrest. The relationship between Shock Index (SI), Diastolic Shock Index (DSI), Modified Shock Index (MSI), Age Shock Index (Age-SI), and induction agents (ketamine, propofol) and PIC was evaluated. Results: The PIC was detected in 62 patients (47.7%). Age-SI showed the highest predictive performance (AUC = 0.686, p < 0.001). Ketamine provided a protective effect (OR = 0.161, p = 0.003). Propofol (OR = 2.962, p = 0.048), age (OR = 1.065, p = 0.002), lactate (OR = 1.265, p = 0.047), and DSI (OR = 2.300, p = 0.037) were identified as independent risk factors. ICU mortality was significantly higher in the PIC group (74.2% vs. 20.6%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Age, lactate, DSI, and Age-SI are valuable predictive parameters for PIC. Ketamine reduces the risk of PIC, while propofol increases it. These results support evidence-based risk assessment and induction agent selection in ICU intubation protocols.