Flexible Tip Bougie for Emergency Tracheal Intubation by Paramedics and Emergency Physicians

Given the consequences of failed intubation, there is great interest in optimizing airway management success rates. Growing evidence suggests that use of a bougie device is associated with improved airway success. Bougies with a flexible tip may increase intubation success by offering operators greater control. In this study, we performed a feasibility assessment of flexible tip bougies involving clinicians who routinely perform emergency airway management.

We used a feasibility simulation study design with pre- and postsurveys. Participants first completed a presession survey asking about their intubation experience and preferences. They were then given a brief demonstration of the flexible tip bougie with an opportunity to ask questions. They completed 2 intubations on an airway simulator using video laryngoscopy-one with a flexible tip bougie and one with a standard bougie. During these intubations, the time required to pass the bougie through the vocal cords and the time required to pass a tracheal tube through the vocal cords was assessed. Participants finally completed a postsession survey asking about their experiences with the flexible tip bougie.

A total of 18 participants took part in the study. All participants rated themselves as familiar with tracheal intubation, and most (72.2%) said that they would consider using a flexible tip bougie on future intubations. Quantitatively, there was no clinically significant difference in the time needed to pass the bougie through the vocal cords (0.38 second) and the time needed to pass a tracheal tube through the vocal cords (8.24 seconds).

Our simulation-based study comparing a flexible tip bougie with a conventional bougie revealed improved operator feedback with the flexible tip bougie and a clinically insignificant temporal difference in intubation metrics. Further study is needed to better assess the benefits of a flexible tip bougie in emergency and nonemergency airway management.