Cricoid pressure during resuscitation

Resuscitation great. Brian Sellick, cricoid pressure and the Sellick Manoeuvre.

The manoeuvre consists in temporary occlusion of the upper end of the oesophagus by backward pressure of the cricoid cartilage against the bodies of the cervical vertebrae. In the cadaver it was found that when the stomach was filled with water and firm pressure was applied to the cricoid, as described below, a steep Trendelenburg tilt did not cause regurgitation of fluid into the pharynx. More...

The historical background of cricoid pressure in anesthesia and resuscitation.

Cricoid pressure.

PURPOSE Although cricoid pressure (CP) is a superficially simple and appropriate mechanical method to protect the patient from regurgitation and gastric insufflation, in practice it is a complex manoeuvre which is difficult to perform optimally. The purpose of this review is to examine and evaluate studies on the application of (CP). It deals with anatomical and physiological considerations, te...

Cricoid pressure: the argument against

Cricoid pressure – friend or foe?

Cricoid pressure was described by Sellick [1] over 40 years ago to reduce the probability of the aspiration of gastric contents onto the pulmonary tree. It subsequently became part of the technique termed rapid sequence intubation and is used in most countries of the world as an integral part of the emergency induction of anaesthesia. Its introduction into clinical practice followed a simple te...