• Airway
• anaesthesia
• emergency care systems, emergency departments
• management, emergency department management

The recent literature contains an abundance of reports relating to emergency department (ED) sedation practice. Despite this, it can be difficult to compare many of the findings as study methodology often differs considerably. In particular, studies may be retrospective or prospective, observational or interventional, or restricted to adults or paediatric populations, or to specific drugs or combinations. Accordingly, the review by Thorpe and Benger1 in this issue is timely in its attempt to evaluate the available evidence for any association between pre-procedural fasting and the risk of pulmonary aspiration during ED procedural sedation (see page 254).

In their systematic review the authors were able to identify only a single case of pulmonary …