SAEMF/RAMS Medical Student Research Grant - $2,500

"Use of Intubation Kits With Checklists to Reduce Intubation Risks in Rwanda"

Sub-Saharan African countries have high mortality rates from respiratory failure with significant barriers to accessing resources. Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is often necessary, but multiple attempts can lead to adverse outcomes, making it crucial to maximize first-pass success. The effectiveness of pre-intubation checklists in improving outcomes is unclear, with mixed results from existing studies. There is limited data on ETI outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, with studies reporting a 33% adverse event rate. Studying firstpass success rates and complications in Kigali, Rwanda, can help address these gaps in ETI data. Through this study, we will prepare and utilize ETI kits and checklists in the Emergency Department (ED) at the University Teaching Hospital - Kigali (CHUK), a tertiary care public referral hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, to determine whether the use of these kits and checklists improves the first-pass success rate for endotracheal intubation.

Recipient(s)

  • Katarina Ho

    Katarina Ho

    Brown University

    "Use of Intubation Kits With Checklists to Reduce Intubation Risks in Rwanda"

    Katarina Ho is a medical student at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Katarina previously worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she contributed to studies in subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. Her research now focuses on improving outcomes in emergency medicine, specifically through the implementation of endotracheal intubation kits and checklists in resource-limited settings. She currently leads a project in collaboration with the University Teaching Hospital - Kigali (CHUK) and the University of Rwanda to bridge gaps in global health by enhancing emergency care practices in low-resource environments. Katarina is a recipient of the Ali and Danielle Raja RAMS Medical Student Research Grant from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF).