Identification of difficult airways in critical care units (ID-ACCT): a multicentre, survey-based prospective observational study
Authors' conclusion
Known and predicted difficult airways are common in UK ICU patients, but these at-risk patients are often not clearly identifiable to healthcare professionals.
Study context
- Population
- Adult ICU patients in 106 UK ICUs without treatment escalation plans precluding artificial airway insertion
- Participants
- 1,965 patients · 106 UK ICUs
- Outcome
- Prevalence of known and predicted difficult airways; identifiability as at risk and presence of airway management plans
Methodological detailsmulticentre, survey-based
- Multicentre
- Survey-based
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Known difficult airway (among 1519 with intubation details)
- 244 (16.1%)
- Known difficult airway: difficult face-mask ventilation
- 32 [2.1%]
- Known difficult airway: difficult laryngoscopy
- 37 [2.4%]
- Known difficult airway: difficult intubation
- 182 [12.0%]
- Known difficult airway: clearly identifiable to investigators
- 70 (28.7%)
- Known difficult airway: airway management plans
- 75 (30.7%)
- Predicted difficult airway (excluding known difficult airway)
- 922
- Predicted difficult airway: clearly identifiable
- 125 (13.6%)
- Predicted difficult airway: airway management plans
- 181 (19.6%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Artificial airway in situ
- 872 (44.4%)
- Tracheal tube
- 639 [73.3%]
- Tracheostomy tube
- 233 [26.7%]
Original publication
Identification of difficult airways in critical care units (ID-ACCT): a multicentre, survey-based prospective observational study. Br J Anaesth. Published 19 December 2025. doi:10.
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