Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Application and Reliability Evaluation of Sternal Notch Sagittal Ultrasound Imaging for Endotracheal Tube Positioning in Neonates Under General Anesthesia: A Prospective Study Comparing Electronic Bronchoscopy
Authors' conclusion
Sternal notch sagittal ultrasound imaging shows highly consistent measurement results with electronic bronchoscopy for assessing the position of the endotracheal tube in neonates.
Study context
- Population
- Neonates intubated under GA for elective and urgent surgery in the operating room, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Hefei, China
- Exposure
- Ultrasound vs Electronic bronchoscopy
- Outcome
- Agreement between ultrasound-measured ETT tip to right pulmonary artery distance and bronchoscopy-measured ETT tip to carina distance
Methodological detailssingle-center, self-controlled design
- Single-center
- Self-controlled design
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Correlation of US-measured ETT tip–right pulmonary artery distance with bronchoscopy-measured ETT tip–carina distance
- High linear correlation between the two methods (r)
- 0.899
- P value for correlation
- p < 0.001
- Internal consistency of three US measurements (Cronbach alpha)
- 0.985
- Internal consistency of three US measurements (ICC)
- 0.985
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Operation time · significant difference
P < 0.001
- Internal consistency of three ultrasound measurements
- 0.985 · Cronbach alpha · ICC 0.985
Ultrasound precision by ETT size (mean absolute deviation (MAD); coefficient of variation)
- 2.5-mm ETT: MAD 0.18 mm, CV 5.60%
- 3.0-mm ETT: MAD 0.14 mm, CV 4.50%
- 3.5-mm ETT: MAD 0.12 mm, CV 4.20%
- Improved consistency with larger tube diameters
Safety
| Outcome | Ultrasound | Electronic bronchoscopy | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adverse events / hypoxemia during examinationHypoxemia incidence with bronchoscopy | 0 events | 18.4% | P < 0.001 |
Original publication
Application and Reliability Evaluation of Sternal Notch Sagittal Ultrasound Imaging for Endotracheal Tube Positioning in Neonates Under General Anesthesia: A Prospective Study Comparing Electronic Bronchoscopy. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. Published 17 March 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →