Consider
- Pain/awareness, hypoxia, hypercarbia, inadequate sedation, sympathomimetics, seizure, withdrawal, or underlying disease.
Skip to airway content
Airway of the MonthRead the patient. Rescue the airway. Run the room.
Airway of the MonthRead the patient. Rescue the airway. Run the room.
Rescue pathway
Tachycardia / hypertension after intubation
Pain/awareness and inadequate sedation are common, but do not miss hypoxia/hypercarbia.
Evidence and use limits
Last reviewed: 2026-07-23. Designed for: emergency medicine learners, clinicians, EMS, RT, and airway educators.
This is an educational cognitive aid, not a bedside order set. Confirm medications, ventilator changes, pediatric dosing, procedures, and escalation decisions against the patient’s physiology, the ventilator in use, and local ED/ICU/anesthesia/pharmacy/RT/EMS/pediatric policy.
Full references · Editorial policy · AARC 2024 ventilator assessment · ATS/ESICM/SCCM lung-protective ventilation · ATS 2024 ARDS update
About this resource
Created by: Andrew Pirotte, MD; Kyle Brown, MD; Reba Hodge, MD; Amanda Vanderwerf, PharmD, BCEMP; Morgan Kimball, PharmD, BCEMP; Joshua Mohess
Clinical review: Clinical review pending: local ED, ICU, EMS, anesthesia, pharmacy, and pediatric protocol review recommended before bedside teaching rollout.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-23
Next scheduled review: 2027-01-23
Designed for: EM residents, emergency physicians, EMS clinicians, airway educators, and simulation faculty
Important: Educational resource and cognitive-aid guide only; not a bedside order set or substitute for local protocol, medical direction, or clinical judgment.
Website contact: kybrown@kumc.edu