Video Classification of Intubation (VCI) Score
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Video Classification of Intubation (VCI) Score: A Novel Classification for Videolaryngoscopy-Assisted Tracheal Intubation
IRAS ID
264947
Contact name
Rajinder Chaggar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
For almost 65 years, direct laryngoscopy has been the most widely used technique for tracheal intubation. However, the placement of a tracheal tube can be predicted or unexpectedly difficult which has led to the development of devices using video assistance to aid this process. During the process of direct laryngoscopy, the challenge is to obtain a direct view of the larynx. The Cormack and Lehane (CL) grading system is a well established tool used by anaesthetists to provide a universally understood description of the glottic view obtained. Rigid videolaryngoscopes use a blade to retract the soft tissues of the oral cavity and transmit a video image to a screen attached to the end of the handle or to a monitor, enabling a lighted indirect view of the larynx. Despite the widespread use of videolaryngoscopes, a similar descriptive tool for videolaryngoscopy (VL) has not been widely adopted for day-to-day practice. Indeed, the CL grade is often incorrectly applied to views obtained by VL. This can be misleading since a good glottis view by VL may not be associated with straightforward passage of the tracheal tube through the glottic opening. Consequently, anaesthetists are failing to effectively communicate the experience of VL-assisted tracheal intubation. This project aims to develop a novel scoring system to describe tracheal intubation using VL and to validate the usability of this tool in both ‘easy’ and ‘difficult’ tracheal intubations.
This study will be performed in 2 phases. Phase 1 will be an evaluation of the training for anaesthetists and no patients will be involved. In this phase we will be collecting baseline data for accuracy and comparability with experienced anaesthetists and will not require a formal ethics approval. This research application is asking for ethics and HRA approval for the Phase 2 of the study involving patients.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1420
Date of REC Opinion
28 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion