Assessment of Provider Position for Prehospital Tracheal Intubation

Assessment of Provider Position for Prehospital Tracheal Intubation Using Direct Laryngoscopy: Randomized Controlled Trial

Endotracheal intubation may be needed in critically ill patients in the prehospital setting, where difficult conditions may be encountered. The patient may be lying on the ground, thus complicating direct laryngoscopy as the operator's visual axis cannot be properly aligned with the patient's oral-pharyngeal-tracheal axis. The posture sitting cross-legged ("Lotus" position) at the head of the patient may allow an easier alignment of the visual axes due to a lower operator's head position and more stability. We compared the impact of the "Lotus" position with free positioning of the operator for direct laryngoscopy on intubation first pass success rate among novice operators.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All resident doctors with 1 to 6 years of post-graduate experience working in the Emergency Department (ED) at Geneva University Hospitals (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG)) and penultimate year of medical school students (5th year) studying at University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine (UGFM) - Performed less than 10 ETIs prior to take part in the research

Exclusion Criteria:

• More than 6 years of post-graduate experience
• Performed more than 10 ETIs prior to take part in the research