Podcast #445: Hunting for the endotracheal tube

Author: Michael Hunt, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Bedside transtracheal ultrasound to confirm proper endotracheal intubation is simple and effective
• Review of 17 studies showed transtracheal ultrasound was was 98.7% sensitive and 97.1% specific
• Curvilinear probe may be preferable as it provides a larger field of view

Editor's Note: rather than explain what you're looking for… just go here

References:

Gottlieb M, Holladay D, Peksa GD. Ultrasonography for the Confirmation of Endotracheal Tube Intubation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ann Emerg Med. 2018 Dec;72(6):627-636. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.06.024. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PubMed PMID: 30119943.

Summarized and edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD