Our analyses provide primarily a methodological message.
Based exclusively on data from trials that used
a modified procedure, we would infer that there was
no difference between propofol–rocuronium and thiopental–
rocuronium for RSI. The question then is why
the investigators of almost half of these studies have
chosen a modified RSI model to study intubation
conditions with rocuronium. The differential effect
between the models, true vs. modified, has never been
shown before and it is tempting to believe that those
investigators who used a modified RSI aimed to
combine two studies within one trial, an electrophysiological
study anda clinical intubation study, andthey
ignoredthe fact that amodifiedmodel did not properly
reflect conditions for rapid sequence intubation.