This study evaluates the efficiency of awake naso-tracheal intubation and patient satisfaction when using a small diameter flexible nasolaryngoscope together with topical anaesthesia and light sedation with a combination of benzodiazepine and fentanyl. The selected patients will have difficult airway access because of obstructing oro- and hypo-pharynx tumours.
Awake naso-tracheal fiberoptic intubation is an established method of securing a difficult airway. The patient's comfort and optimum intubation conditions are paramount for success. The study proposes to analyse a series of patients with obstructive pharyngo-laryngeal pathology, following the degree of satisfaction, reliability of the procedure and any incidents or complications. Awake intubation could be the safest way to control difficult airway as the patient maintains spontaneous respiration and intact reflexes. Main concerns for the success of this procedure should be a good technique, a calm and cooperative patient and good preparation with careful topical anaesthesia and appropriate sedation. The tool used in this study will be a flexible nasolaryngoscope of 2.9 mm diameter and 300 mm working length which might offer an advantage over lengthier fiberscopes in matter of manoeuvrability and patient comfort. Prior intubation the patients will have an upper airway fiberscopic exam from nostrils to tracheae with the same tool.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
32
The trachea will be intubated under direct fiberoptic view after a fiberoptic upper airway examination. The flexible nasolaryngoscope will be armed with an intubating tube and passed inside tracheal lumen trough one of the nostrils.
Topical anaesthesia with lidocaine will be provided through nebulisation and instillation. The intubating tube will be lubricated with a gel containing lidocaine.
The patient will be sedated with a combination of midazolam, fentanyl administered intravenously in small boluses until the desired level of sedation is achieved as expressed of The Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (OAA/S) of 4 or 5.
Cluj County Emergency Hospital- ENT Clinic
Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
The duration of the procedure
The duration of the successful naso-tracheal intubation, starting from the passage of the intubating tube through one of the nostrils until the endotracheal intubation confirmation by free bag movement and capnography.
Time frame: 10 minutes
Momentary discomfort shown by coughing, grimacing, constricting vocal cords, limb movement or blunt cardiovascular response
Expressed by grimacing, coughing , laryngospasm or constricting vocal cords, limb movement, a cardiovascular response of more than 20% variation in mean arterial pressure or cardiac frequency, rhythm disturbances.
Time frame: 10 minutes
Early and late complications
monitoring incidents which could appear during or after the procedure (failure of achieving tracheal intubation, respiratory or cardio-vascular life threatening incidents, local injuries, bleeding, accidental tube displacement or blocking)
Time frame: During procedure and 48 hours post-procedure
Patient satisfaction about the procedure at 24 hours post-procedure
The subjects will complete a satisfaction questionnaire, in the form of a visual analogue scale. The scale will have the form of a 10 cm line marked with five grades of their discomfort during the procedure: none, mild, moderate, very bad and unbearable. Above this written words there is a 1 to 10 scale on which the patient will note there satisfaction score- 1 is the corespondent of no discomfort and 10 is for unbearable. The patient will fill in the scale the day after surgery. An average of the score of all patients will be computed.
Time frame: 24 hours
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