clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02327026.

IMPORTANCE Rocuronium and succinylcholine are often used for rapid sequence intubation, although the comparative efficacy of these paralytic agents for achieving successful intubation in an emergency setting has not been evaluated in clinical trials. Succinylcholine use has been associated with several adverse events not reported with rocuronium.OBJECTIVE To assess the noninferiority of rocuronium vs succinylcholine for tracheal intubation in out-of-hospital emergency situations. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Multicenter, single-blind, noninferiority randomized clinical trial comparing rocuronium (1.2 mg/kg) with succinylcholine (1 mg/kg) for rapid sequence intubation in 1248 adult patients needing out-of-hospital tracheal intubation. Enrollment occurred from January 2014 to August 2016 in 17 French out-of-hospital emergency medical units. The date of final follow-up was August 31, 2016.INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned to undergo tracheal intubation facilitated by rocuronium (n = 624) or succinylcholine (n = 624). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was the intubation success rate on first attempt. A noninferiority margin of 7% was chosen. A per-protocol analysis was prespecified as the primary analysis.RESULTS Among 1248 patients who were randomized (mean age, 56 years; 501 [40.1%] women), 1230 (98.6%) completed the trial and 1226 (98.2%) were included in the per-protocol analysis. The number of patients with successful first-attempt intubation was 455 of 610 (74.6%) in the rocuronium group vs 489 of 616 (79.4%) in the succinylcholine group, with a between-group difference of −4.8% (1-sided 97.5% CI, −9% to ϱ), which did not meet criteria for noninferiority. The most common intubation-related adverse events were hypoxemia (55 of 610 patients [9.0%]) and hypotension (39 of 610 patients [6.4%]) in the rocuronium group and hypoxemia (61 of 616 [9.9%]) and hypotension (62 of 616 patients [10.1%]) in the succinylcholine group.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients undergoing endotracheal intubation in an out-of-hospital emergency setting, rocuronium, compared with succinylcholine, failed to demonstrate noninferiority with regard to first-attempt intubation success rate.

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Malaria has been officially eradicated from the Reunion Island since 1979. However, a potentially active vector of the disease - Anopheles arabiensis - persists on the island. The risk of resurgence is quite significant. More than 90%of the patients presenting a malarial infection in Reunion Island after a stay in Madagascar or in the Comoros had followed a chemoprophylaxis that was not in accordance with the guidelines. A survey, that included 100 general practitioners, wasconducted in the Reunion Island regarding their practices concerning the malaria prevention. The upshot of all this is that these doctors themselves do not follow the optimal malaria prevention practices during journeys, and neglect their protection against mosquito bites. Travelers' consultations with the doctors before a journey represent only a modest part of their activity. However, the general practitioner is considered to be the interlocutor of choice for these patients. During these consultations, they do not refer enough to the national references which, according to a number of practitioners, are difficult to obtain. On the contrary, they refer too much to the information delivered by the pharmaceutical industry. With regard to the prescriptions of prophylactic treatments, only 40% of the doctors respect the official recommendations. This gap in the recommendations is sometimes deliberate and justified by the very high cost of a number of treatments. However, a lack of up-to-date knowledge cannot be excluded. Finally, the promotion of the protection against mosquito bites remains very poor. According to these data, it seems important to promote networking between the doctors and the reference centers, which would enhance optimal practices concerning chemoprophylaxis and protection against mosquito bites, especially targeting the "at risk" patients.