A Modified Rabbit Training Model for Establishing an Emergency Front of Neck Airway in Children

A "cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate" (CICO) situation is rare in paediatric anaesthesia, but can always occur in children under certain emergency situations. There is a paucity of literature on specific procedures for securing an emergency invasive airway in children under the age of 6 years. A modified emergency Front Of Neck Access (eFONA) technique using a rabbit cadaver model was developed to teach invasive airway protection in a CICO situation in children.

After watching an instructional video of our eFONA technique (tracheotomy, initial intubation with Frova catheter over which an endotracheal tube is inserted), 29 anaesthesiologists will perform two separate attempts on rabbit cadavers. The primary outcome is the success rate and the performance time overall and in subgroups of trained and untrained participants.