 One important difference between RSI and routine tracheal intubation is that the practitioner does not manually assist the ventilation of the lungs after the onset of general anesthesia and cessation of breathing , until the trachea has been intubated and the cuff has been inflated . Another key feature of RSI is the application of manual ' cricoid pressure ' to the cricoid cartilage , often referred to as the " Sellick maneuver " , prior to instrumentation of the airway and intubation of the trachea . 
