Use of bedside ultrasonography for endotracheal tube placement in pediatric patients: a feasibility study

Point-of-care ultrasound for non-vascular invasive procedures in critically ill neonates and children: current status and future perspectives

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been established as an essential bedside tool for real-time image guidance of invasive procedures in critically ill neonates and children. While procedural guidance using POCUS has become the standard of care across many adult medicine subspecialties, its use has more recently gained popularity in neonatal and pediatric medicine due in part to improvement in technology and integration of POCUS into physician training programs. With increasing use, emerging data have supported its adoption and shown improvement in pediatric outcomes. Procedures that have traditionally relied on physical landmarks, such as thoracentesis and lumbar puncture, can now be performed under direct visualization using POCUS, increasing success, and reducing complications in our most vulnerable patients. In this review, we describe a global and comprehensive use of POCUS to assist all steps of different non-vascular invasive procedures and the evidence base to support such approach.

CONCLUSION

There has been a recent growth of supportive evidence for using point-of-care ultrasound to guide neonatal and pediatric percutaneous procedural interventions. A global and comprehensive approach for the use of point-of-care ultrasound allows to assist all steps of different, non-vascular, invasive procedures.

WHAT IS KNOWN

• Point-of-care ultrasound has been established as a powerful tool providing for real-time image guidance of invasive procedures in critically ill neonates and children and allowing to increase both safety and success.

WHAT IS NEW

• A global and comprehensive use of point-of-care ultrasound allows to assist all steps of different, non-vascular, invasive procedures: from diagnosis to semi-quantitative assessment, and from real-time puncture to follow-up.

Airway management in neonates and infants: European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and British Journal of Anaesthesia joint guidelines

Airway management is required during general anaesthesia and is essential for life-threatening conditions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Evidence from recent trials indicates a high incidence of critical events during airway management, especially in neonates or infants. It is important to define the optimal techniques and strategies for airway management in these groups. In this joint European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA) guideline on airway management in neonates and infants, we present aggregated and evidence-based recommendations to assist clinicians in providing safe and effective medical care. We identified seven main areas of interest for airway management: i) preoperative assessment and preparation; ii) medications; iii) techniques and algorithms; iv) identification and treatment of difficult airways; v) confirmation of tracheal intubation; vi) tracheal extubation, and vii) human factors. Based on these areas, Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes (PICO) questions were derived that guided a structured literature search. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology was used to formulate the recommendations based on those studies included with consideration of their methodological quality (strong '1' or weak '2' recommendation with high 'A', medium 'B' or low 'C' quality of evidence). In summary, we recommend: 1. Use medical history and physical examination to predict difficult airway management (1C). 2. Ensure adequate level of sedation or general anaesthesia during airway management (1B). 3. Administer neuromuscular blocker before tracheal intubation when spontaneous breathing is not necessary (1C). 4. Use a videolaryngoscope with an age-adapted standard blade as first choice for tracheal intubation (1B). 5. Apply apnoeic oxygenation during tracheal intubation in neonates (1B). 6. Consider a supraglottic airway for rescue oxygenation and ventilation when tracheal intubation fails (1B). 7. Limit the number of tracheal intubation attempts (1C). 8. Use a stylet to reinforce and preshape tracheal tubes when hyperangulated videolaryngoscope blades are used and when the larynx is anatomically anterior (1C). 9. Verify intubation is successful with clinical assessment and end-tidal CO2 waveform (1C). 10. Apply high-flow nasal oxygenation, continuous positive airway pressure or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation for postextubation respiratory support, when appropriate (1B).

Comparison of Upper Airway Ultrasonography Against Quantitative Waveform Capnography for Validating Endotracheal Tube Position in a South Indian Population

INTRODUCTION

The utilization of ultrasonography (USG) is progressively growing to verify the accurate positioning of the endotracheal tube (ETT). Non-detection of the esophageal intubation can be fatal. Various techniques are employed to confirm the placement of the ETT, but none of them are considered optimal. Quantitative waveform capnography (qWC) is often regarded as the most reliable method for this purpose; however, it may not necessarily be accessible and can be expensive. Hence, this investigation was carried out to contrast the use of bedside upper airway USG with qWC in order to confirm the accurate positioning of the ETT following intubation.  Methods: A prospective validation study was undertaken in the emergency department (ED) of Lourdes Hospital, Kochi. This study includes subjects who are of the age group >18 years of either sex requiring intubation in the ED for causes like respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, coma, head injury, and poisoning and cases in which intubation was achieved in the first attempt. The sample size calculated was 77. Intubation in our ED includes both elective and emergency. For all the patients undergoing intubation, consent was taken before the procedure (from close relatives of the patients) by another staff after explaining the procedure to be conducted by the doctor. Following the acquisition of consent, the intubation procedure was executed in accordance with the established hospital protocol. This protocol included verifying the intubation's success as well as employing clinical techniques such as observing bilateral chest expansion, conducting a five-point auscultation, and monitoring pulse oximetry. Furthermore, USG was employed to assess the positioning of the ETT placement. The time taken by each of these methods to confirm tube placement was noted, and the findings were assessed for the sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) of USG against the gold standard qWC to confirm endotracheal intubation.

RESULTS

Eighty patients were enrolled in the study. All 80 patients were subjected to both ultrasound and end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2). Of the 80 patients, six subjects (7.5%) underwent esophageal intubation, which was observed through the use of USG. Four patients had esophageal intubations and were correctly detected by EtCO2. All four esophageal intubations were correctly confirmed by EtCO2. Additionally, USG detected six intubations, out of which four were true and two were tracheal which was correctly confirmed by EtCO2. The bedside upper airway USG demonstrated an SN of 78 subjects at 97.4% (95% CI: 90.8-99.7%), an SP of 80 subjects at 100% (95% CI: 39.7-100%), a positive predictive value of 80 subjects at 100% (95% CI: 93.8-100%), and a negative predictive value of 53 subjects at 66.7% (95% CI: 33.7-88.7%). A positive test had an infinite likelihood ratio, whereas a negative test had a likelihood ratio of 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01-0.10). The average duration for confirmation by USG was 10.10 seconds.  Conclusion: The study's outcomes highlight the importance of incorporating USG into the clinical toolkit of ED physicians, ultimately contributing to enhanced patient safety and the optimization of endotracheal intubation procedures in the ED.

Airway management in neonates and infants: European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and British Journal of Anaesthesia joint guidelines

Airway management is required during general anaesthesia and is essential for life-threatening conditions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Evidence from recent trials indicates a high incidence of critical events during airway management, especially in neonates or infants. It is important to define the optimal techniques and strategies for airway management in these groups. In this joint European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA) guideline on airway management in neonates and infants, we present aggregated and evidence-based recommendations to assist clinicians in providing safe and effective medical care. We identified seven main areas of interest for airway management: i) preoperative assessment and preparation; ii) medications; iii) techniques and algorithms; iv) identification and treatment of difficult airways; v) confirmation of tracheal intubation; vi) tracheal extubation, and vii) human factors. Based on these areas, Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes (PICO) questions were derived that guided a structured literature search. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology was used to formulate the recommendations based on those studies included with consideration of their methodological quality (strong '1' or weak '2' recommendation with high 'A', medium 'B' or low 'C' quality of evidence). In summary, we recommend: 1. Use medical history and physical examination to predict difficult airway management (1С). 2. Ensure adequate level of sedation or general anaesthesia during airway management (1B). 3. Administer neuromuscular blocker before tracheal intubation when spontaneous breathing is not necessary (1С). 4. Use a videolaryngoscope with an age-adapted standard blade as first choice for tracheal intubation (1B). 5. Apply apnoeic oxygenation during tracheal intubation in neonates (1B). 6. Consider a supraglottic airway for rescue oxygenation and ventilation when tracheal intubation fails (1B). 7. Limit the number of tracheal intubation attempts (1C). 8. Use a stylet to reinforce and preshape tracheal tubes when hyperangulated videolaryngoscope blades are used and when the larynx is anatomically anterior (1C). 9. Verify intubation is successful with clinical assessment and end-tidal CO 2 waveform (1C). 10. Apply high-flow nasal oxygenation, continuous positive airway pressure or nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation for postextubation respiratory support, when appropriate (1B).

A Scoping Review of Ultrasonographic Techniques in the Evaluation of the Pediatric Airway

Point-of-care ultrasound is making rapid advancements in pediatrics, and ultrasonographic assessment of the airway is being employed in many specialties such as the pediatric, cardiac, and neonatal intensive care units, emergency department, pulmonary clinic, and the perioperative setting. This scoping review provides a technical description of image acquisition and interpretation, accompanying ultrasound images of the hallmark airway applications in pediatrics, and supporting evidence when available. We describe and illustrate ultrasound-determined endotracheal tube (ETT) sizing, ETT placement and depth confirmation, vocal fold assessment, prediction of post-extubation stridor, difficult laryngoscopy prediction, and cricothyrotomy guidance. This review aims to provide the descriptions and images necessary to learn and apply these skills at the point of care in the pediatric patient.

Comparison of Upper Airway Ultrasonography With End-Tidal Capnography for the Confirmation of Endotracheal Tube Placement in Patients Requiring General Anesthesia

Introduction End-tidal capnography (EtCO₂) has been the gold standard method for confirmation of endotracheal intubation. Upper airway ultrasonography (USG) is a new promising method for confirming endotracheal tube (ETT) placement and has the potential to become the first-line non-invasive airway assessment tool in the future thanks to widespread POCUS knowledge, greater technology improvements, portability, and availability of ultrasound in the majority of essential areas. Hence our study aimed to compare upper airway USG and EtCO₂ for the confirmation of ETT placement in patients undergoing general anesthesia. Aim To compare the upper airway USG with EtCO₂ for confirmation of ETT placement in patients requiring general anesthesia for elective surgical procedures. The objectives of the study were to compare the time taken for confirmation, and the number of correct identification of tracheal and esophageal intubation by both upper airway USG and EtCO₂. Materials and methods After obtaining institutional ethical committee (IEC) approval, a prospective randomized comparative study involving 150 patients under American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade I and II requiring endotracheal intubation for elective surgeries under general anesthesia was randomized into two groups, Group U-upper airway USG and Group E-EtCO₂ with 75 patients in each group. ETT placement confirmation was done by upper airway USG in Group U and by EtCO₂ in Group E and the time taken for confirmation of ETT placement and correct identification of esophageal and tracheal intubation by USG and EtCO₂ was noted. Results The demographic details among both groups were statistically insignificant. Upper airway USG had a faster average confirmation time of 16.41 seconds when compared to EtCO₂ which took an average confirmation time of 23.56 seconds. In our study, upper airway USG was able to identify esophageal intubation with 100% specificity. Conclusion Upper airway USG can be a reliable method and can be employed as a standard method for confirmation of ETT location in patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anesthesia when compared to EtCO₂.

Applications of Airway Ultrasound for Endotracheal Intubation in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review

Endotracheal intubation is a challenging procedure for pediatric patients. Airway ultrasound as a new technology is suitable for aiding this process, but its diagnostic value remains unclear. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Chinese biomedical literature database to summarize specific applications of airway ultrasound in each step of endotracheal intubation in pediatric patients. Diagnostic accuracy and 95% confidence interval were used as outcomes. In total, 33 studies (6 randomized controlled trials and 27 diagnostic studies) with 1934 airway ultrasound examinations were included. Population included neonates, infants, and older children. Airway ultrasound could be used to determine the endotracheal tube size and confirm endotracheal intubation and intubation depth; the diagnostic accuracy for all these factors was 23.3-100%, 90.6-100%, and 66.7-100%, respectively. Furthermore, the accuracy of airway ultrasound in predicting endotracheal tube size was consistently higher than traditional methods, such as height formula, age formula, and the width of the little finger. In conclusion, airway ultrasound has unique advantages for confirming successful endotracheal intubation in pediatric patients, and it may become an effective auxiliary tool in this field. There is a need to develop a unified airway ultrasound protocol to conduct clinical trials and practice in the future.

Sonographic Evaluation of the Endotracheal Tube Position in the Neonatal Population: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Endotracheal intubation in neonates is challenging and requires a high level of precision, due to narrow and short airways, especially in preterm newborns. The current gold standard for endotracheal tube (ETT) verification is chest X-ray (CXR); however, this method presents some limitations, such as ionizing radiation exposure and delayed in obtaining the radiographic images, that point of care ultrasound (POCUS) could overcome.

Primary Objective

To evaluate ultrasound efficacy in determining ETT placement adequacy in preterm and term newborns.

Secondary Objective

To compare the time required for ultrasound confirmation vs. time needed for other standard of care methods.

Search Methods

A search in Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar and in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was performed. Our most recent search was conducted in September 2021 including the following keywords: "newborn", "infant", "neonate", "endotracheal intubation", "endotracheal tube", "ultrasonography", "ultrasound".

Selection Criteria

We considered randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, prospective, retrospective and cross-sectional studies published after 2012, involving neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients needing intubation/intubated infants and evaluating POCUS efficacy and/or accuracy in detecting ETT position vs. a defined gold-standard method. Three review authors independently assessed the studies' quality and extracted data.

Main Results

We identified 14 eligible studies including a total of 602 ETT evaluations in NICU or in the delivery room. In about 80% of cases the gold standard for ETT position verification was CXR. Ultrasound was able to identify the presence of ETT in 96.8% of the evaluations, with a pooled POCUS sensitivity of 93.44% (95% CI: 90.4-95.75%) in detecting an appropriately positioned ETT as assessed by CXR. Bedside ultrasound confirmation was also found to be significantly faster compared to obtaining a CXR.

Conclusion

POCUS appears to be a fast and effective technique to identify correct endotracheal intubation in newborns. This review could add value and importance to the use of this promising technique.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Ultrasonography has been widely used in medicine for decades but often by specific users such as cardiologists, obstetricians, and radiologists. In the last several years, the use of this imaging modality has moved to the bedside, with clinicians performing and interpreting focused point of care ultrasonography to aid in immediate assessment and management of their patients. The growth of point of care ultrasonography has been facilitated by advancement in ultrasound-related technology and emerging studies and protocols demonstrating its utility in clinical practice. However, considerable challenges remain before this modality can be adopted across the spectrum of disciplines, primarily as it relates to training, competency, and standardization of usage. This review outlines the history, current state, challenges and the future direction of point of care ultrasonography specifically in the field of pediatric critical care medicine.

Diagnostic value of pleural ultrasound to refine endotracheal tube placement in pediatric intensive care unit

AIM

To assess the diagnostic performance of a simplified lung point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to confirm the correct positioning of an endotracheal tube (ETT) in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) used to chest radiography (CXR), and to compare the time to obtain the ETT position between POCUS and CXR.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center prospective study in critically ill children requiring urgent endotracheal intubation. Esophageal tube malposition was first avoided using auscultation and end-tidal CO2. The ETT position was assessed with CXR and lung POCUS using the lung sliding sign on a pleural window. All of the investigators had to read guidelines and received 1-h training on the technical aspects of lung sliding. The primary objective was the accuracy of POCUS in confirming correct nonselective endotracheal intubation as compared with CXR.

RESULTS

A total of 71 patients were included from December 2016 to November 2018. CXR identified proper nonselective ETT placement in 43 of 71 (61%) patients, while the rate for selective intubation was 39%. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS as compared with CXR were 77% and 68%, respectively. Median time to POCUS was significantly shorter than CXR (2 min to perform POCUS, 10 min to obtain radiographs, p<10-4).

CONCLUSION

Pleural ultrasound, although faster than CXR, appears to be inadequate for identifying selective ETT after urgent intubation in a PICU less accustomed to this kind of ultrasound. In this heterogeneous and fragile population, timely POCUS may remain useful at the bedside as compared with auscultation, aiming at guiding optimal ETT placement and reducing respiratory complications, provided by trained physicians.

Procedural Applications of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Point-of-care ultrasound can improve efficacy and safety of pediatric procedures performed in the emergency department. This article reviews ultrasound guidance for the following pediatric emergency medicine procedures: soft tissue (abscess incision and drainage, foreign body identification and removal, and peritonsillar abscess drainage), musculoskeletal and neurologic (hip arthrocentesis, peripheral nerve blocks, and lumbar puncture), vascular access (peripheral intravenous access and central line placement), and critical care (endotracheal tube placement, pericardiocentesis, thoracentesis, and paracentesis). By incorporating ultrasound, emergency physicians caring for pediatric patients have the potential to enhance their procedural scope, confidence, safety, and success.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-Of-Care Ultrasound for Intussusception Performed by Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians

BACKGROUND

Intussusception (INT) is a common cause of bowel obstruction in young children. Delay in diagnosis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. There have been several studies evaluating early point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the diagnosis of INT by nonradiologists.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS by novice sonographer pediatric emergency medicine physicians (PEM-Ps) who received focused US training for diagnosing INT.

METHODS

We performed a prospective observational study including 17 PEM-Ps (14 attendings, 3 fellows) trained to perform abdominal US for INT. Children suspected of having INT received POCUS performed and interpreted by a PEM-P, followed by a US study performed by a certified ultrasonographer and interpreted by an attending pediatric radiologist. Diagnostic concordance between PEM-P-and radiology-performed US (RPUS) results was assessed.

RESULTS

One hundred patients were enrolled; median patient age was 24 months. There was excellent diagnostic agreement for presence or absence of INT between PEM-Ps and RPUS (97% of cases; κ = 0.826). POCUS-diagnosed INT was present in 8 of 9 patients with RPUS-diagnosed INT (sensitivity 89%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 51-99%; specificity 98%; 95% CI 92-100%; positive predictive value 80%; 95% CI 44-96%; negative predictive value 99%; 95% CI 93-100%). Likelihood ratio for INT with a positive POCUS was 40.44 (95% CI 10.07-162.36) and with a negative POCUS was 0.11 (95% CI 0.02-0.72).

CONCLUSIONS

POCUS performed by novice sonographers to diagnose INT has high diagnostic concordance with RPUS. Emergency department-performed POCUS is a rapid and accurate method for diagnosing INT.

Simulator-based ultrasound training for identification of endotracheal tube placement in a neonatal intensive care unit using point of care ultrasound

BACKGROUND

Simulators are an extensively utilized teaching tool in clinical settings. Simulation enables learners to practice and improve their skills in a safe and controlled environment before using these skills on patients. We evaluated the effect of a training session utilizing a novel intubation ultrasound simulator on the accuracy of provider detection of tracheal versus esophageal neonatal endotracheal tube (ETT) placement using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). We also investigated whether the time to POCUS image interpretation decreased with repeated simulator attempts.

METHODS

Sixty neonatal health care providers participated in a three-hour simulator-based training session in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan. Participants included neonatologists, neonatal fellows, pediatric residents and senior nursing staff. The training utilized a novel low-cost simulator made with gelatin, water and psyllium fiber. Training consisted of a didactic session, practice with the simulator, and practice with intubated NICU patients. At the end of training, participants underwent an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and ten rounds of simulator-based testing of their ability to use POCUS to differentiate between simulated tracheal and esophageal intubations.

RESULTS

The majority of the participants in the training had an average of 7.0 years (SD 4.9) of clinical experience. After controlling for gender, profession, years of practice and POCUS knowledge, linear mixed model and mixed effects logistic regression demonstrated marginal improvement in POCUS interpretation over repeated simulator testing. The mean time-to-interpretation decreased from 24.7 (SD 20.3) seconds for test 1 to 10.1 (SD 4.5) seconds for Test 10, p < 0.001. There was an average reduction of 1.3 s (β = - 1.3; 95% CI: - 1.66 to - 1.0) in time-to-interpretation with repeated simulator testing after adjusting for the covariates listed above.

CONCLUSION

We found a three-hour simulator-based training session had a significant impact on technical skills and performance of neonatal health care providers in identification of ETT position using POCUS. Further research is needed to examine whether these skills are transferable to intubated newborns in various health settings.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03533218 . Registered May 2018.

Endotracheal Tube Placement Confirmation with Bedside Ultrasonography in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Validation Study

Critically ill patients who are intubated undergo multiple chest X-rays (CXRs) to determine endotracheal tube position; however, other modalities can save time, medical expenses, and radiation exposure. In this article, we evaluated the validity and interrater reliability of ultrasound to confirm endotracheal tube (ETT) position in patients. A prospective study was performed on intubated patients with cuffed ETTs. The accuracy of ultrasound to confirm correct ETT placement in 92 patients was 97.8%. Sensitivity, positive predictive value, and agreement of 97.7, 93.3, and 91.3% were found on comparing ultrasound to CXR findings. Ultrasound is feasible, reliable, and has good interrater reliability in assessing correct ETT position in children.

Technologies to Optimize the Care of Severe COVID-19 Patients for Health Care Providers Challenged by Limited Resources

Health care systems are belligerently responding to the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a specific condition, whose distinctive features are severe hypoxemia associated with (>50% of cases) normal respiratory system compliance. When a patient requires intubation and invasive ventilation, the outcome is poor, and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) is usually 2 or 3 weeks. In this article, the authors review several technological devices, which could support health care providers at the bedside to optimize the care for COVID-19 patients who are sedated, paralyzed, and ventilated. Particular attention is provided to the use of videolaryngoscopes (VL) because these can assist anesthetists to perform a successful intubation outside the ICU while protecting health care providers from this viral infection. Authors will also review processed electroencephalographic (EEG) monitors which are used to better titrate sedation and the train-of-four monitors which are utilized to better administer neuromuscular blocking agents in the view of sparing limited pharmacological resources. COVID-19 can rapidly exhaust human and technological resources too within the ICU. This review features a series of technological advancements that can significantly improve the care of patients requiring isolation. The working conditions in isolation could cause gaps or barriers in communication, fatigue, and poor documentation of provided care. The available technology has several advantages including (a) facilitating appropriate paperless documentation and communication between all health care givers working in isolation rooms or large isolation areas; (b) testing patients and staff at the bedside using smart point-of-care diagnostics (SPOCD) to confirm COVID-19 infection; (c) allowing diagnostics and treatment at the bedside through point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and thromboelastography (TEG); (d) adapting the use of anesthetic machines and the use of volatile anesthetics. Implementing technologies for safeguarding health care providers as well as monitoring the limited pharmacological resources are paramount. Only by leveraging new technologies, it will be possible to sustain and support health care systems during the expected long course of this pandemic.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Sternal Notch Confirms Depth of Endotracheal Tube in Children

OBJECTIVES

To determine if a saline-filled cuff seen at the suprasternal notch on ultrasound corresponds to correct endotracheal tube depth on a chest radiograph (tip at/below clavicle AND ≥ 1 cm above carina).

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

Tertiary Care Pediatric hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients between the ages of 0-18 years requiring nonemergent cardiac catheterizations and endotracheal intubation with a cuffed endotracheal tube were included in the study. Children with anticipated or known difficult airways were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS

Ultrasound evaluation of the neck following saline inflation of the endotracheal tube cuff.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Ultrasonography of the patient's neck was performed following intubation by a pediatric anesthesiologist. A linear probe was used in transverse axis to identify the saline-filled cuff starting at the suprasternal notch and moving cephalad. A cine-fluoroscopic image, similar to a chest radiograph, was obtained to ascertain the endotracheal tube depth after the cuff was identified sonographically. Endotracheal tube cuffs seen on ultrasound at the suprasternal notch were compared with the endotracheal tube depth on the cine-fluoroscopic image. A total of 75 children were enrolled in the study. The endotracheal tube was seen sonographically at the suprasternal notch in 70 patients of which 60 had complete data (an adequate chest radiograph available for review). Patient ages ranged from 2 months to 18 years with a median age of 4 years. The median endotracheal tube tip to carina distance was 2.4 cm (interquartile range, 1.75-3.3 cm.) The endotracheal tube tip to carina distance was greater than or equal to 1 cm in 57 out of the 60 patients. Endotracheal tube cuff at the suprasternal notch on ultrasound corresponded with correct endotracheal tube depth on chest radiograph with an accuracy of 95% (CI, 86-98%).

CONCLUSIONS

Visualization of the cuff at the suprasternal notch by ultrasound demonstrates potential as a means of confirming correct depth of the endotracheal tube following endotracheal intubation.

Ultrasonographic confirmation of endotracheal intubation in extremely low birthweigh infants - secondary publication

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of ultrasonography (US) for confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) placement during resuscitation in extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of ELBW infants in whom ETT position was verified using US between June 2016 and September 2017. We investigated the backgrounds of the patients and US investigators, and the time required for the detection of exhaled carbon dioxide using the colorimetric method and US.

RESULTS

Eleven ELBW infants were evaluated using US by four neonatologists. The median duration required to determine the ETT position by the colorimetric method and US were 11 s and 3 s, respectively. In six ELBW infants, we were able to verify the ETT position more rapidly using US than using the colorimetric method, and were able to perform prompt resuscitation. Unnecessary reintubations were avoided in three ELBW infants.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasonography allowed the swift confirmation of the tracheal intubations. The colorimetric method yielded false negative results; in such cases, unnecessary reintubation could have been avoided if US was used. We assessed the mechanism of false negative results and performed appropriate resuscitation.

A novel training simulator for portable ultrasound identification of incorrect newborn endotracheal tube placement - observational diagnostic accuracy study protocol

Background

Endotracheal tube (ETT) placement is a critical procedure for newborns that are unable to breathe. Inadvertent esophageal intubation can lead to oxygen deprivation and consequent permanent neurological impairment. Current standard-of-care methods to confirm ETT placement in neonates (auscultation, colorimetric capnography, and chest x-ray) are time consuming or unreliable, especially in the stressful resuscitation environment. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the neck has recently emerged as a powerful tool for detecting esophageal ETTs. It is accurate and fast, and is also easy to learn and perform, especially on children.

Methods

This will be an observational diagnostic accuracy study consisting of two phases and conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. In phase 1, neonatal health care providers that currently perform standard-of-care methods for ETT localization, regardless of experience in portable ultrasound, will undergo a two-hour training session. During this session, providers will learn to detect tracheal vs. esophageal ETTs using POCUS. The session will consist of a didactic component, hands-on training with a novel intubation ultrasound simulator, and practice with stable, ventilated newborns. At the end of the session, the providers will undergo an objective structured assessment of technical skills, as well as an evaluation of their ability to differentiate between tracheal and esophageal endotracheal tubes. In phase 2, newborns requiring intubation will be assessed for ETT location via POCUS, at the same time as standard-of-care methods. The initial 2 months of phase 2 will include a quality assurance component to ensure the POCUS accuracy of trained providers. The primary outcome of the study is to determine the accuracy of neck POCUS for ETT location when performed by neonatal providers with focused POCUS training, and the secondary outcome is to determine whether neck POCUS is faster than standard-of-care methods.

Discussion

This study represents the first large investigation of the benefits of POCUS for ETT confirmation in the sickest newborns undergoing intubations for respiratory support.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03533218. Registered May 2018.

Diagnostic Accuracy of a 3-Point Ultrasound Protocol to Detect Esophageal or Endobronchial Mainstem Intubation in a Pediatric Emergency Department

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the 3-point approach with ultrasonography for confirming endotracheal tube (ETT) placement in pediatric patients.

METHODS

This was a prospective study conducted at a tertiary care center in Japan between March 2014 and March 2016. Children aged 0 to 18 years requiring endotracheal intubation in our emergency department (ED) who underwent ultrasonography for confirming ETT placement were enrolled. Patients who had already undergone a tracheotomy or intubation before arrival at our ED or who had severe neck injuries hindering ultrasonography were excluded. Quantitative capnography and portable chest x-ray imaging were used as the reference standard for the confirmation of proper ETT placement. The main outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of the 3-point approach with ultrasonography for detecting inappropriate ETT placement.

RESULTS

In total, 68 patients were enrolled. The median age was 17 months (interquartile range, 8-40), and 51.4% were males. Three (4.4%) and 7 (10.3%) patients had esophageal and endobronchial mainstem intubation, respectively. The patients received emergency intubation due to a dysfunction of the central nervous system (45.6%) or respiratory failure (22.0%). The sensitivity and specificity of esophageal versus tracheal intubation was 100% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.9%-100.0%) and 100% (95% CI, 97.9%-100.0%), respectively, whereas for endobronchial mainstem intubation versus tracheal intubation, the sensitivity and specificity was 85.7% (95% CI, 56.7%-96.0%) and 98.3% (95% CI, 94.8%-99.5%), respectively. Agreement between the reviewers was high (kappa coefficient, 0.78).

CONCLUSION

The 3-point approach with ultrasonography was a feasible method for detecting esophageal and endobronchial mainstem intubation in pediatric patients.

Getting to know a familiar face: Current and emerging focused ultrasound applications for the perioperative setting

Ultrasound technology is available in many pediatric perioperative settings. There is an increasing number of ultrasound applications for anesthesiologists which may enhance clinical performance, procedural safety, and patient outcomes. This review highlights the literature and experience supporting focused ultrasound applications in the pediatric perioperative setting across varied disciplines including anesthesiology. The review also suggests strategies for building educational and infrastructural systems to translate this technology into clinical practice.

Back to Fundamentals: Radiographic Evaluation of Thoracic Lines and Tubes in Children

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to provide an up-to-date review of the radiographic appearance of the most commonly used thoracic lines and tubes in pediatric patients in daily clinical practice. CONCLUSION. Thoracic support lines and tubes are frequently used in children receiving hospital care. Evaluation of these devices is a fundamental skill in radiology. Many different devices are currently used, and new devices are regularly introduced. It is essential for radiologists to maintain a clear understanding of all devices currently in use.

Determination of optimal endotracheal tube tip depth from the gum in neonates by X-ray and ultrasound

Background/objective: Proper placement of endotracheal tube (ETT) in the midtrachea is essential. Initial depth of placement of oral ETT from the lips is commonly estimated based on weight ("7-8-9 rule"), gestational age, or nasal-tragus distance. However, these measurements can be altered by superficial factors and the mobility of the lips relative to the airway, so the upper alveolar ridge (gum) may provide a superior landmark. Also, confirmation of ETT tip position by point of care ultrasound (POC-US) is noninvasive and may enable localization of the ETT tip in real time. The objective of this study is to define optimal initial ETT depth from the gum in infants relative to weight, and to compare the efficacy of POC-US with standard chest X-ray (CXR) for confirming ETT tip position.Methods: Neonates requiring oral intubation were enrolled. At the time of CXR that were obtained for clinical indications, the position of the ETT at both the lip and gum were recorded. "Optimal" ETT placement in midtrachea (from lip and gum) was calculated based on the observed measurements and the distance of the ETT tip from the carina on CXR. Linear regression was used to model ideal placement of ETT, as a function of weight. POC-US was performed using a 10 MHz cardiac probe and high parasternal view. Distance from the ETT bevel to the superior aspect of the right pulmonary artery, which is at the level of carina, was measured using electronic calipers.Results: Infants were recruited at a median age of 3 days (n = 75), weight 1300 g, and corrected gestational age 31.6 ± 5.8 weeks. The regression equation for optimal placement from the gum (in cm) was 5.21 + 1.03 × weight (kg). Using estimates of 5 or 5.5 cm + weight (kg) to the gum yielded accuracy similar or superior to the 7-8-9 rule to the lip. Most of the variability in ideal placement of ETT tip from the gum was determined by weight (R2 = 0.83). The difference between optimal placement using lip and gum was 0.51 ± 0.24 cm. ETT location by POC-US (n = 40) was in substantial agreement with CXR (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.98).Conclusions: Marking oral ETT placement to the gum is feasible, with optimal depth of about 5.2 cm + weight (kg), across all weight categories. POC-US can be used for rapid confirmation of continued ideal ETT tip location, with accuracy similar to CXR. Further studies will be needed to determine whether marking ETT depth to the gum or using POC-US achieves the goal of decreased complications of ETT misplacement or displacement.

WITHDRAWN: Techniques to ascertain correct endotracheal tube placement in neonates

BACKGROUND

The success rate of correct endotracheal tube (ETT) placement for junior medical staff is less than 50% and accidental oesophageal intubation is common. Rapid confirmation of correct tube placement is important because tube malposition is associated with serious adverse outcomes including hypoxaemia, death, pneumothorax and right upper lobe collapse.ETT position can be confirmed using chest radiography, but this is often delayed; hence, a number of rapid point-of-care methods to confirm correct tube placement have been developed. Current neonatal resuscitation guidelines advise that correct ETT placement should be confirmed by the observation of clinical signs and the detection of exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2). Even though these devices are frequently used in the delivery room to assess tube placement, they can display false-negative results. Recently, newer techniques to assess correct tube placement have emerged (e.g. respiratory function monitor), which have been claimed to be superior in the assessment of tube placement.

OBJECTIVES

To assess various techniques for the identification of correct ETT placement after oral or nasal intubation in newborn infants in either the delivery room or neonatal intensive care unit compared with chest radiography.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL,The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 4), MEDLINE (January 1996 to June 2014), EMBASE (January 1980 to Juen 2014) and CINAHL (January 1982 to June 2014). We searched clinical trials registers and the abstracts of the Society for Pediatric Research and the European Society for Pediatric Research from 2004 to 2014. We did not apply any language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We planned to include randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials and cluster trials that compared chest radiography with clinical signs, respiratory function monitors, exhaled CO2 detectors or ultrasound for the assessment of correct ETT placement either in the delivery room or the neonatal intensive care unit.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently evaluated the search results against the selection criteria. We did not perform data extraction and 'Risk of bias' assessments because we identified no studies that met our inclusion criteria.

MAIN RESULTS

We did not identify any studies meeting the criteria for inclusion in this review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is insufficient evidence to determine the most effective technique for the assessment of correct ETT placement either in the delivery room or the neonatal intensive care unit. Randomised clinical trials comparing either of these techniques with chest radiography are warranted.

Accuracy of Real-time Intratracheal Bedside Ultrasonography and Waveform Capnography for Confirmation of Intubation in Multiple Trauma Patients

Background:

A secure airway and effective ventilation are key components of advanced life support, and misplacement of endotracheal tube (ETT) can lead to morbidity in multiple trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of ultrasound in diagnosis of direction for tracheal intubation.

Materials and Methods:

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 100 traumatic patients requiring intubation in 2016 in the Emergency Department of Al-Zahra and Kashani Medical Education Centers in Isfahan. Surface probe was placed transversally in the front of the neck at the top of the suprasternal notch, and the position of trachea was specified by front of comet-tail artifact which is the contour between hyperechoic air–mucosa (A–M) and a posterior reverberation artifact. Intubation accuracy by capnography was investigated, and the results were recorded in each patient's profile. Tracheal sonography was done during placement, or as soon as, the ETT has been embedded. The scanning time was minimized and it was carried out in total time of 10 s.

Results:

The diagnosis of intubation accuracy indicated that it was successful in 94 individuals (94%) and unsuccessful in 6 ones (6%). Intubation accuracy in 93 people (93%) was confirmed, and inaccuracy of intubation in 7 people (7%) was diagnosed. Ultrasound sensitivity in diagnosis of intubation accuracy was 97.9% (92.94) with 83.3% (5.6%) specificity. The positive and negative predictive values were 98.9% (92.93) and 71.4% (5.7%) respectively.

Conclusion:

Ultrasound method has high sensitivity and specificity to determine the correct placement of the tracheal tube, and it can be implemented as a reliable method given the acceptable positive and negative predictive values.

New directions in point-of-care ultrasound at the crossroads of paediatric emergency and critical care

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The diagnostic capability, efficiency and versatility of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) have enabled its use in paediatric emergency medicine (PEM) and paediatric critical care (PICU). This review highlights the current applications of POCUS for the critically ill child across PEM and PICU to identify areas of progress and standardized practice and to elucidate areas for future research.

RECENT FINDINGS

POCUS technology continues to evolve and advance bedside clinical care for critically ill children, with ongoing research extending its use for an array of clinical scenarios, including respiratory distress, trauma and dehydration. Rapidly evolving and upcoming applications include diagnosis of pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, identification of intra-abdominal injury via contrast-enhancement, guidance of resuscitation, monitoring of increased intracranial pressure and procedural guidance.

SUMMARY

POCUS is an effective and burgeoning method for both rapid diagnostics and guidance for interventions and procedures. It has clinical application for a variety of conditions that span PEM and PICU settings. Formal POCUS training is needed to standardize and expand use of this valuable technology by PICU and PEM providers alike.

Point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric anesthesiology and critical care medicine

Ultrasound has increasingly become a clinical asset in the hands of the anesthesiologist and intensivist who cares for children. Though many applications for ultrasound parallel adult modalities, children as always are not simply small adults and benefit from the application of ultrasound to their management in various ways. Body composition and size are important factors that affect ultrasound performance in the child, as are the pathologies that may uniquely afflict children and aspects of procedures unique to this patient population. Ultrasound simplifies vascular access and other procedures by visualizing structures smaller than those in adults. Maturation of the thoracic cage presents challenges for the clinician performing pulmonary ultrasound though a greater proportion of the thorax can be seen. Moreover, ultrasound may provide unique solutions to sizing the airway and assessing it for cricothyroidotomy. Though cardiac ultrasound and neurosonology have historically been performed by well-developed diagnostic imaging services, emerging literature stresses the utility of clinician ultrasound in screening for pathology and providing serial observations for monitoring clinical status. Use of ultrasound is growing in clinical areas where time and diagnostic accuracy are crucial. Implementation of ultrasound at the bedside will require institutional support of education and credentialing. It is only natural that the pediatric anesthesiologist and intensivist will lead the incorporation of ultrasound in the future practice of these specialties.

Role of ultrasound in confirmation of endotracheal tube in neonates: a review

Tracheal intubation (TI) is a commonly done procedure in neonatal intensive care unit and delivery room during resuscitation. The confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) position should be done quickly as tube malposition is associated with various serious adverse outcomes like hypoxemia, right upper lobe collapse, atelectasis, air leak syndromes and esophageal intubation. ETT position can be confirmed by various methods like clinical sign, chest radiography, capnography, external digital tracheal palpation, ultrasonography (USG), respiratory function monitor, video-laryngoscope and fiberoptic devices. The current gold standard test to confirm ETT position is a chest radiograph, but it has many fallacies thus presently there is the need for a modality that helps in detection of endotracheal intubation and tube position with minimal complications. USG has been used in adult and pediatric population for detecting ETT position but there are very less studies in neonates. In this review, we analyze all the published studies, case reports and personal experiences that have sought the use of USG in neonatal population for detection of ETT position.

Predictive Value of Tracheal Rapid Ultrasound Exam Performed in the Emergency Department for Verification of Tracheal Intubation

BACKGROUND

Verification of the correct placement of the endotracheal tube (ETT) has been one of the most challenging issues of airway management in the field of emergency medicine. Early detection of oesophagal intubation through a reliable method is important for emergency physicians.

AIM

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of tracheal rapid ultrasound exam (TRUE) to assess endotracheal tube misplacement during emergency intubation.

METHODS

This was an observational prospective study performed in the emergency department of the major tertiary referral hospital in the city. We included a consecutive selection of 100 patients. TRUE was performed for all these patients, and subsequently, quantitative waveform capnography was done. The later test is considered as the gold standard.

RESULTS

From our total 100 eligible patients, 93 (93%) participants had positive TRUE results (tracheal intubation) and 7 (7%) patients have negative TRUE results (esophageal intubation). Quantitative waveform capnography report of all 93 (100%) patients who had positive TRUE was positive (appropriate tracheal placement). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of TRUE for detecting appropriate tracheal placement of ETT were 98.9% (95% CI, 93.3% to 99.8%), 100% (95% CI, 51.6% to 100%), 100% (95% CI, 95.1% to 100%) and 85.7% (95% CI, 42% to 99.2%) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Performing TRUE is convenient and feasible in many emergency departments and pre-hospital settings. We would recommend emergency units explore the possibility of using TRUE as a method in the assessment of proper ETT placement.

Ultrasonography for endotracheal tube position in infants and children

Ultrasonography (US) has been shown to be effective for verifying endotracheal tube (ETT) position in adults but has been less studied in infants and children. We review the literature regarding US for ETT positioning in the pediatric population. A literature search was conducted using the Ovid and MEDLINE databases with search terms regarding US relating to ETT intubation and positioning in infants and children. Most studies in neonates and infants used the midsagittal suprasternal view. Studies reported >80% visualization of the ETT tip by US, and US interpretation of the ETT position correlated with the XR position in 73-100% of cases. Studies of older children used the suprasternal views, substernal views, and mid-axillary intercostal views. US appears comparable to XR and capnography in determining ETT position in this population.

CONCLUSION

US for ETT verification appears to be well tolerated in infants and children and may augment determination of proper ETT position in combination with other ETT verification modalities. Further studies are needed regarding technique and training. What is Known: • Point-of-care ultrasonography is realizing increased availability and use in several pediatric specialties. • Ultrasonography has been shown to be effective for verifying ETT position in adults but have been less studied in infants and children. What is New: • Ultrasonography for endotracheal tube verification appears to be well tolerated in infants and children. • Ultrasonography may augment determination of proper endotracheal tube position in combination with other verification modalities such as radiography and capnography in the pediatric population.

Lung Sliding Identification Is Less Accurate in the Left Hemithorax

OBJECTIVES

The aim of our study was to compare the accuracy of lung sliding identification for the left and right hemithoraxes, using prerecorded short US sequences, in a group of physicians with mixed clinical and US training.

METHODS

A total of 140 US sequences of a complete respiratory cycle were recorded in the operating room. Each sequence was divided in two, yielding 140 sequences of present lung sliding and 140 sequences of absent lung sliding. Of these 280 sequences, 40 were randomly repeated to assess intraobserver variability, for a total of 320 sequences. Descriptive data, the mean accuracy of each participant, as well as the rate of correct answers for each of the original 280 sequences were tabulated and compared for different subgroups of clinical and US training. A video with examples of present and absent lung sliding and a lung pulse was shown before testing.

RESULTS

Two sessions were planned to facilitate the participation of 75 clinicians. In the first group, the rate of accurate lung sliding identification was lower in the left hemithorax than in the right (67.0% [interquartile range (IQR), 43.0-83.0] versus 80.0% [IQR, 57.0-95.0]; P < .001). In the second group, the rate of accurate lung sliding identification was also lower in the left hemithorax than in the right (76.3% [IQR, 42.9-90.9] versus 88.7% [IQR, 63.1-96.9]; P = .001). Mean accuracy rates were 67.5% (95% confidence interval, 65.7-69.4) in the first group and 73.1% (95% confidence interval, 70.7-75.5) in the second (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Lung sliding identification seems less accurate in the left hemithorax when using a short US examination. This study was done on recorded US sequences and should be repeated in a live clinical situation to confirm our results.

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome: Chest X-ray or lung ultrasound? A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome is a leading cause of morbidity in preterm new-born babies (<37 weeks gestation age). The current diagnostic reference standard includes clinical testing and chest radiography with associated exposure to ionising radiation. The aim of this review was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound against the reference standard in symptomatic neonates of ≤42 weeks gestation age.

METHODS

A systematic search of literature published between 1990 and 2016 identified 803 potentially relevant studies. Six studies met the review inclusion criteria and were retrieved for analysis. Quality assessment was performed before data extraction and meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Four prospective cohort studies and two case control studies included 480 neonates. All studies were of moderate methodological quality although heterogeneity was evident across the studies. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of lung ultrasound were 97% (95% confidence interval [CI] 94-99%) and 91% (CI: 86-95%) respectively. False positive diagnoses were made in 16 cases due to pneumonia (n = 8), transient tachypnoea (n = 3), pneumothorax (n = 1) and meconium aspiration syndrome (n = 1); the diagnoses of the remaining three false positive results were not specified. False negatives diagnoses occurred in nine cases, only two were specified as air-leak syndromes.

CONCLUSIONS

Lung ultrasound was highly sensitive for the detection of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome although there is potential to miss co-morbid air-leak syndromes. Further research into lung ultrasound diagnostic accuracy for neonatal air-leak syndrome and economic modelling for service integration is required before lung ultrasound can replace chest radiography as the imaging component of the reference standard.

Reliability of Ultrasonography in Confirming Endotracheal Tube Placement in an Emergency Setting

Background and Objectives:

Over the past few years, ultrasonography is increasingly being used to confirm the correct placement of endotracheal tube (ETT). In our study, we aimed to compare it with the traditional clinical methods and the gold standard quantitative waveform capnography. Two primary outcomes were measured in our study. First was the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography against the other two methods to confirm endotracheal intubation. The second primary outcome assessed was the time taken for each method to confirm tube placement in an emergency setting.

Methods:

This is a single-centered, prospective cohort study conducted in an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. We included 100 patients with indication of emergency intubation by convenient sampling. The intubation was performed as per standard hospital protocol. As part of the study protocol, ultrasonography was used to identify ETT placement simultaneously with the intubation procedure along with quantitative waveform capnography (end-tidal carbon dioxide) and clinical methods. Confirmation of tube placement and time taken for the same were noted by three separate health-care staffs.

Results and Discussion:

Out of the 100 intubation attempts, five (5%) had esophageal intubations. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis using ultrasonography were 97.89% and 100%, respectively. This was statistically comparable with the other two modalities. The time taken to confirm tube placement with ultrasonography was 8.27 ± 1.54 s compared to waveform capnography and clinical methods which were 18.06 ± 2.58 and 20.72 ± 3.21 s, respectively. The time taken by ultrasonography was significantly less.

Conclusions:

Ultrasonography confirmed tube placement with comparable sensitivity and specificity to quantitative waveform capnography and clinical methods. But then, it yielded results considerably faster than the other two modalities.

Bedside Ultrasound for Tracheal Tube Verification in Pediatric Emergency Department and ICU Patients: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

Improper placement of the tracheal tube during intubation can lead to dangerous complications, and bedside ultrasound has been proposed as a method of quickly and accurately identifying tube placement. Recent studies in adults have found it to be accurate, but its applicability in pediatric patients is unclear. This systematic review aims to describe the current available data on the accuracy and feasibility of bedside ultrasound for tracheal tube placement in children.

DATA SOURCES

OVID MEDLINE and EMBASE.

STUDY SELECTION

Available articles on bedside neck or lung/diaphragm ultrasound for confirmation of tracheal tube placement in children through December 2015.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two reviewers screened studies for eligibility and abstracted data independently. The quality of selected articles was evaluated using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies statement.

DATA SYNTHESIS

A total of nine articles were identified: one study using neck ultrasound, two using lung/diaphragmatic ultrasound, one with both, and five studies looking at direct visualization of the tracheal tube tip met our inclusion criteria. There were 81 intubations evaluated using neck ultrasound, 214 intubations evaluated using diaphragmatic or pleural sliding, and 165 intubations evaluated for feasibility of bedside ultrasound in visualizing tracheal tube tip placement. The sensitivities of transtracheal ultrasound for intubation were overall high ranging from 0.92 to 1.00 with excellent specificities at 1.00. For lung ultrasound, the sensitivities for tracheal placement versus esophageal placement were high at 1.00, but only one study reported esophageal intubations and had a specificity of 1.00. When assessing the appropriate tracheal tube depth for tracheal intubations using lung ultrasound, the sensitivities ranged from 0.91 to 1.00 with specificities ranging from 0.5 to 1.0. Regarding feasibility of direct visualization of tracheal tube tip, visualization ranged from 83% to 100%.

CONCLUSION

Bedside ultrasound has been described to be feasible in determining tracheal tube placement in several small single center studies and could be a useful adjunct tool in confirming tracheal tube placement in critically ill pediatric patients, but further studies are needed to assess its accuracy in a randomized multicenter setting.

Sonography for Complete Evaluation of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Central Support Devices: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES

Neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit often require considerable support with endotracheal tubes, umbilical arterial and venous catheters, and peripherally inserted central venous catheters. Support device evaluation with radiography exposes neonates to ionizing radiation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of sonographic localization for endotracheal tubes, umbilical arterial and venous catheters, and peripherally inserted central venous catheters.

METHODS

This blinded prospective Institutional Review Board-approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study with informed consent compared sonography to radiography for endotracheal tube, umbilical arterial and venous catheter, and peripherally inserted central venous catheter localization. Participants were consecutively recruited NICU patients of any weight, gestation, and chronologic age who had an endotracheal tube, umbilical arterial catheter, umbilical venous catheter, or peripherally inserted central venous catheter placed or adjusted and had subsequent radiographic confirmation within 24 hours. Sonographic evaluation was obtained as soon as possible, without prior review of the radiograph, and results were compared.

RESULTS

Thirty sonographic studies were performed in 25 patients (14 male and 11 female), for a total of 50 lines and tubes: 18 umbilical venous catheters, 12 umbilical arterial catheters, 11 peripherally inserted central venous catheters, and 9 endotracheal tubes. Forty-nine support devices (98%) were visualized with sonography, all concordant with radiography. Forty-four were correctly positioned, and 6 were malpositioned. Sonography identified the location of umbilical venous catheters in all 18 cases (100%), umbilical arterial catheters in all 12 (100%), peripherally inserted central venous catheters in 10 (91%), and endotracheal tubes in 9 (100%).

CONCLUSIONS

The effectiveness of sonography was excellent for evaluation of umbilical arterial and venous catheters, endotracheal tubes, and peripherally inserted central venous catheters. These results support the goal of further point-of-care training and accreditation to use sonography as a primary modality for complete evaluation of NICU support devices.

Factors Associated with Misplaced Endotracheal Tubes During Intubation in Pediatric Patients

BACKGROUND

Correct positioning of the endotracheal tube (ETT) during emergent pediatric intubations can be challenging, and incorrect placement may be associated with higher rates of complications.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study are to: 1) assess the prevalence of clinically undetected misplaced ETTs after intubation in the pediatric emergency department; 2) identify predictors of ETT misplacement; and 3) evaluate for any association between intubation-related complications and ETT position.

METHODS

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the primary outcome was rate of unrecognized low or high ETTs detected on confirmatory chest radiographs. The secondary outcome was frequency of complications (i.e., hypoxemia, difficult ventilation, atelectasis, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and aspiration) associated with misplaced ETTs. Multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the associations between patient and procedural characteristics and misplaced ETTs and between ETT position and complications.

RESULTS

Seventy-seven of 201 (38.3%) intubations performed in the emergency department resulted in clinically unrecognized misplaced ETTs. Of the misplaced tubes, 45 of 77 (58%) were identified as low and 32 (42%) were high. In multivariable analyses, female sex and decreasing age were associated with increased risk of low tube placement (odds ratio for female sex, 2.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.1-5.1]; odds ratio of decreasing age, 1.16 [95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.3]). Low tube misplacement was associated with an increased risk of intubation-related complications compared to both correct and high tube placement (p < 0.05, Chi-square).

CONCLUSION

Clinically unrecognized ETT misplacement occurs frequently in the pediatric emergency department, with low placement being most common, particularly in girls and younger children. Measures to improve clinical or radiographic recognition of incorrect tube position should be considered.

Defining the learning curve of point-of-care ultrasound for confirming endotracheal tube placement by emergency physicians

Background

Unrecognized esophageal intubations are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. No single confirmatory device has been shown to be 100 % accurate at ruling out esophageal intubations in the emergency department. Recent studies have demonstrated that point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may be a useful adjunct for confirming endotracheal tube placement; however, the amount of practice required to become proficient at this technique is unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of practice required by emergency physicians to become proficient at interpreting ultrasound video clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations.

Methods

Emergency physicians and emergency medicine residents completed a baseline interpretation test followed by a 10 min online tutorial. They then interpreted POCUS clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations in a randomly selected order. If an incorrect response was provided, the participant completed another practice session with feedback. This process continued until they correctly interpreted ten consecutive ultrasound clips. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Results

Of the 87 eligible physicians, 66 (75.9 %) completed the study. The mean score on the baseline test was 42.9 % (SD 32.7 %). After the tutorial, 90.9 % (60/66) of the participants achieved proficiency after one practice attempt and 100 % achieved proficiency after two practice attempts. Six intubation ultrasound clips were misinterpreted, for a total error rate of 0.9 % (6/684). Overall, the participants had a sensitivity of 98.3 % (95 % CI 96.3–99.4 %) and specificity of 100 % (95 % CI 98.9–100 %) for detecting correct tube location. Scans were interpreted within an average of 4 s (SD 2.9 s) of the intubation.

Conclusions

After a brief online tutorial and only two practice attempts, emergency physicians were able to quickly and accurately interpret ultrasound intubation clips of esophageal and endotracheal intubations.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13089-015-0031-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ultrasonography for confirmation of endotracheal tube placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize evidence on the diagnostic value of ultrasonography for the assessment of endotracheal tube placement in adult patients.

METHODS

The major databases, PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, were searched for studies published from inception to June 2014. We selected studies that used ultrasonography to confirm endotracheal tube placement. The search was limited to human studies, and had no publication date or country restrictions. Exclusion criteria included case reports, comments, reviews, guidelines and animal studies. Two reviewers extracted and verified the data independently. We summarized test performance characteristics with the use of forest plots, hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves, and bivariate random effect models. Meta-regression analysis was performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. The methodological quality of individual studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool.

RESULTS

A total of 12 eligible studies involving adult patients and cadaveric models were identified from 1488 references. For detection of esophageal intubation, the pooled sensitivity was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.86-0.96) and the specificity was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98). The area under the summary ROC curve was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98). The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 26.98 (95% CI: 19.32-37.66) and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.04-0.15), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Current evidence supports that ultrasonography has high diagnostic value for identifying esophageal intubation. With optimal sensitivity and specificity, ultrasonography can be a valuable adjunct in this aspect of airway assessment, especially in situations where capnography may be unreliable.

Transtracheal ultrasound for verification of endotracheal tube placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Early confirmation of endotracheal tube placement is of paramount importance to prevent hypoxia and its catastrophic consequences. Despite certain limitations, capnography is considered the gold standard to evaluate the proper placement of an endotracheal tube. Ultrasound is a novel tool with some definitive advantages over capnography. It enables a real-time view and can be performed quickly; furthermore, it is independent of pulmonary blood flow and does not require lung ventilation. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transtracheal ultrasound in detecting endotracheal intubation.

SOURCE

We completed an extensive search of MEDLINE®, EMBASE™, The Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, LILACS, OpenGrey, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry from their inception to September 4, 2014. The studies that met the inclusion criteria were pooled and a meta-analysis was conducted.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Eleven studies and 969 intubations were included in the final analysis. Eight studies and 713 intubations were performed in emergency situations and the others were carried out in elective situations. Transtracheal ultrasonography's pooled sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.98 (95% CI 0.97 to 0.99) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.95 to 0.99), respectively. In emergency scenarios, transtracheal ultrasonography showed an aggregate sensitivity and specificity of 0.98 (95% CI 0.97 to 0.99) and 0.94 (95% CI 0.86 to 0.98), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Transtracheal ultrasound is a useful tool to confirm endotracheal intubation with an acceptable degree of sensitivity and specificity. It can be used in emergency situations as a preliminary test before final confirmation by capnography.