Evaluation of free-floating tracheal intubation in weightlessness via ice-pick position with a direct laryngoscopy and classic approach with indirect videolaryngoscopy.

ABSTRACT: Long duration spaceflights to the Moon or Mars are at risk for emergency medical events. Managing a hypoxemic distress and performing an advanced airway procedure such as oro-tracheal intubation may be complicated under weightlessness due to ergonomic constraints. An emergency free-floating intubation would be dangerous because of high failure rates due to stabilization issues that prohibits its implementation in a space environment. Nevertheless, we hypothesized that two configurations could lead to a high first-pass success score for intubation performed by a free-floating operator. In a non-randomized, controlled, cross-over simulation study during a parabolic flight campaign, we evaluated and compared the intubation performance of free-floating trained operators, using either a convent

SUBMITTER: Thierry S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10491756 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature