Identification of Morphological Characteristics to Predict Difficult Endotracheal Intubation Using a Flexible Fiberscope (BFO)

Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Intubation; Difficult

Treatments: Device: Flexible fiberscope

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02769819

16.051

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is designed to identify patients' features predictive of difficult endotracheal intubation using a flexible fiberscope.

Full description

Endotracheal intubation is an important act in the practice of anesthesiology. Direct laryngoscopy is the most commonly used technique to accomplish this task. Airway characteristics predicting difficult intubation with direct laryngoscopy are well defined. Physical findings, such as Mallampati classification or measurements of the thyromental distance, mouth opening, and neck extension have been validated to help anticipate difficult situations with the direct laryngoscope. When direct laryngoscopy is difficult, early conversion to an alternative technique reduces the risk of airway compromise and associated morbidity.

Many alternative intubation devices are now available, and part of the anesthesiologist's task is to select the alternative approach best suited to each patient's specific features. Despite its use for both elective and unexpectedly difficult intubation, predictive criteria for successful airway management with the flexible fiberscope have not been developed.

The purpose of this study is to identify patient morphometric or morphological characteristics, if any, that could predict difficult intubation when using the flexible fiberscope for perioperative tracheal intubation in an elective surgical population.

Enrollment: 420 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 and older
• Patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia, requiring endotracheal intubation

Exclusion criteria

• Induction planned without neuromuscular blocking agents
• Need for a rapid sequence induction

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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420 participants in 1 patient group

Intubation with a flexible fiberscope

Experimental group

Description:

Following induction of general anesthesia and administration of a neuromuscular blocking agent, intubation will be performed using a flexible fiberscope.

Treatment:

Device: Flexible fiberscope