Incidence, causes, and management of failed awake fibreoptic intubation—A retrospective study of 833 procedures
Authors' conclusion
Awake fibreoptic intubation failed in 3.5% of patients, most often due to dislocation, problems passing the tracheal tube, or patient discomfort.
Study context
- Population
- Patients receiving awake fibreoptic intubation at St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway, 2011–2021
- Participants
- 833 awake fibreoptic intubations
- Outcome
- Incidence and causes of failed awake fibreoptic intubation
Methodological detailssingle-centre, tertiary care hospital
- Single-centre
- Tertiary care hospital
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Failed awake fibreoptic intubation
- Failed procedures (of 833 awake fibreoptic intubations)
- 29
- Failure rate
- 3.5%
- Cause: dislodged tube after induction of GA
- 8
- Cause: patient distress
- 5
- Cause: tube not able to pass
- 5
- Cause: airway bleeding
- 3
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Management of failure
- Tracheostomy
- 4
- Primarily solved by direct laryngoscopy (± bougie) or video laryngoscopy
Safety
Loss of airway control with desaturation and hypoventilation due to failure
- Patients with loss of airway control with desaturation and hypoventilation
- 9
- Tracheostomy performed
- 4
Original publication
Incidence, causes, and management of failed awake fibreoptic intubation—A retrospective study of 833 procedures. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. Published 16 August 2023. doi:10.
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