Objective. The use of ultrasonography (US) is a new method for verifying the location of the endotracheal tube.
Design. Our study was designed as a paired-data and investigator-blind clinical study for evaluating the effectiveness of US for verification of wire-reinforced endotra-cheal tube (WR-ETT) placement compared with capnography.
Setting. This study was conducted on 56 patients scheduled for elective surgery un-der general anesthesia.
Patients. Fifty patients completed the study as 6 were excluded for various reasons. Intervention. Two different investigators performed the ultrasonography and intu-bation independently from one another. While investigator 1 attempted to verify the location of the WR-ETT with a portable ul-trasonography with sagittal trans-tracheal view, investigator 2 intubated the patient and verified the location of the ETT using capnography.
Measurements. Time for verifying the loca-tion of the ETT using both US and capnog-raphy was recorded.
Main Results. When the ultrasonography method was compared with capnography for verification of the WR-ETT placement, the results showed 95.75% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The average verification times for endotracheal intubation were 12.78 ± 7.46 s. and 24.44 ± 1.45 s. with US and capnography, respectively (p=0.003). Conclusion. Our results suggest that ultra-sound identification of a WR-ETT within the trachea is a rapid and accurate method for confirmation of tracheal placement. Larger studies are needed before wide-spread use of this technique.