The feasibility of daily mannequin practice to improve intubation success

Opportunities to practice live intubations are limited, so other methods of skill development must be researched. Some experts claim that exceptional performance simply reflects extended periods of intense training. This study evaluates whether daily intubation practice using standard airway mannequins increases the success rate of providers when intubating actual patients.

Study participants were members of a ground critical care transport team. Investigators performed a review of previous trips, compiling the number of attempts at intubation and success rates. During the intervention period, participants were asked to perform repeated daily intubations of airway mannequins. Intubation success rates and compliance with study protocols were recorded.

The rate of successful intubation of the mannequins was constant, with a linear regression slope of 0.00016 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.0039, 0.0042). A generalized estimation equations logistic regression comparing success rates between the pre-intervention and the intervention periods showed no statistical difference (P=.63, z=0.48), with an odds ratio of 1.37 (95% CI: 0.38, 4.92). However, compliance with the study declined significantly over the intervention period, as indicated by a linear regression slope of 0.0239 (95% CI: -.0354, -0.0124).

Daily practice with standard airway mannequins by a critical care transport team did not improve intubation success on actual patients.