The Importance of Bag Mask Ventilation in the ICU

ICU patients are much more likely to have empty stomachs, which is evidenced by the low overall aspiration rate. The BMV group also had another advantage in this study in that they were more likely to having positive pressure applied during pre-oxygenation. Reserving providers to do BMV correctly with a proper two-hand seal with that chin lift with low tidal volumes at low rates is critically important. If you are properly trained and can control your sympathetic surge and you can bag the right way, I think applying positive pressure breaths before laryngoscopy can be really useful.