A comparative study of the Parker Flex-Tip tube versus standard portex tube for oral fiberoptic intubation in bronchoscopy performed by pulmonologists with limited experience

• Published in: Respiratory investigation 2021-03, Vol.59 (2), p.223-227
• Main Authors: Yamauchi, Hiroyoshi, Nakayama, Masayuki, Yamamoto, Shinichi, Sata, Masafumi, Mato, Naoko, Bando, Masashi, Hagiwara, Koichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bronchoscopy; Complications; Endotracheal tube; Oral fiberoptic intubation; Pulmonologist
• ISSN: 2212-5345; 2212-5353
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resinv.2020.09.009

Fiberoptic tracheal intubation (FTI) in bronchoscopy is widely performed with a conventional Portex tracheal tube (PTT). Occasionally, it is difficult for pulmonologists with limited experience to insert a tube beyond the vocal cords and advance it into the trachea. A new endotracheal tube, the Parker Flex-Tip tube (PFT), was recently designed. We compared the usefulness and safety of PFT versus PTT for FTI in bronchoscopy performed by pulmonologists with limited experience. Forty consecutive patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the PFT group (n = 20) or PTT group (n = 20). The time required for the tip of the endotracheal tube to pass from the mouth to the carina, the number of vomiting reflexes, the number of attempts to pass the tube through the vocal cords during intubation, complications, and technical difficulty of intubation were evaluated. Both the PFT and PTT groups exhibited high intubation success rates (100% vs. 90%, respectively). The PFT group was intubated faster than the PTT group (11.5 [5–45] s vs. 22.5 [8–270] s, respectively, p