Airway Management Practice Patterns in Paediatric Anaesthesia: A Survey

• Conditions: Paediatric Airway Management

• Registration Number: NCT02810288
• Lead Sponsor: Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Brief Summary

Respiratory adverse events continue to be the leading reason for perioperative critical events in children. It is crucial for the anaesthesiologist to anticipate, recognize and treat these respiratory adverse events. Respiratory adverse events are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality during paediatric anaesthesia. To avoid trouble, one must be prepared for trouble: if a difficult airway is very likely, anaesthesia should be administered by experienced anaesthesiologists and should only be performed in a protected well-equipped area where the personnel adequately trained.

This survey focuses on assessment and management of paediatric airway and highlights the unique challenges encountered in children.

Detailed Description

Airway management is one of the key areas of paediatric anaesthesia practice. The paediatric patients have significant anatomical and physiological differences compared with adults, which impact on the techniques and tools that the anaesthesiologist might choose to provide safe and effective control of the airway. Furthermore, there are a number of pathological processes, typically seen in the paediatric population, which present unique anatomical or functional difficulties in airway management. The presence of one of these syndromes or conditions can predict a "difficult airway".

Respiratory adverse events continue to be the leading reason for perioperative critical events in children. New developments in airway management in paediatric patients can only improve perioperative outcome if anaesthesiologists who are fully acquainted with these fundamental aspects of paediatric anaesthesia care for these children.

This survey was taken out within members of the Community of European Anaesthesiologists, to describe and explore current patterns of their airway management in paediatric anaesthesia.

The purpose of the study was to see whether there are more uniform practice patterns among anaesthesiologist with paediatric experience than those without paediatric experience.

Secondarily, the survey also explored anaesthetists'' knowledge about the risks of respiratory adverse events and, and about national organizations' recommendations.

Therefore, this survey highlighted some of the important anatomical and physiological differences and their implication in daily anaesthesiological practice.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2016-01
• Status Verified: 2016-06
• Study First Submitted: 2016-06-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-06-21
• Study First Posted: 2016-06-22
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-06-22
• Last Update Posted: 2016-06-23
• Primary Completion: 2017-01
• Study Completion: 2017-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• Anaesthesiologists currently working in the operating rooms.

Exclusion Criteria

• unwilling to join the study

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of anaesthesiologist with paediatric experience using intravenous induction compared to those without paediatric experience.	A time of survey; generally less than 20 minutes	The primary objective will be to compare anaesthesiologists with and without paediatric experience in terms of proportion of anaesthesiologists adopting "standard" practice.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of anaesthesiologist with paediatric experience measuring cuff pressure with pressure manometer compared to those without paediatric experience.	A time of survey; generally less than 20 minutes	The objective will be to compare anaesthesiologists with and without paediatric experience in terms of proportion of anaesthesiologists adopting "standard" practice.
Proportion of participants correctly identifying predictability of difficult airway in children.	A time of survey; generally less than 20 minutes	To assess variables associated to adoption of standard practice, in particular: knowledge of the anatomical, physiological, and pathological features related to the airway.
Proportion of participants correctly answering questions about the use of (modified) rapid sequence induction in the paediatric population.	A time of survey; generally less than 20 minutes	To compare anaesthesiologists with and without paediatric experience in terms of different practice patterns, and items explored by the questionnaire.
Proportion of anaesthesiologist correctly identifying national organisations difficult airway recommendations.	A time of survey; generally less than 20 minutes	To informally compare practiced elicited within this study to existing guidelines and algorithms in paediatric anaesthesia.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo; 🇮🇹 Pavia, Italy