Comparing the Ease of Endotracheal Intubation with and without an Intubation Box in COVID-19 Patients

Endotracheal intubation is a potentially high-risk aerosol-generating procedure. So, an intubation box (I-Box) is designed for personal protection during intubation. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of endotracheal intubation with and without an I-box in COVID-19 patients.

In this study, 60 COVID-19 patients (30 patients in each group) with and without I-box groups were included. outcomes of intubation including duration of intubation, first-pass success intubation, suitable visibility of airways, restriction of movement in the neck, the need to surface maneuvering of the airway, and the number of attempts for successful intubation were compared between the two groups.

The time of intubation was significantly longer in the I-box group (15.27±2.6 seconds) than without the I-box group (8.37±1.3 seconds) (p<0.001). All patients (100%) were intubated in the first attempt in the without I-box group while the rate of first-pass success intubation was 50% in the I-box group (p <0.001). The visibility of the airway was significantly better in the without I-box group than the I-box group (without I-box: 23 patients (76.7%), I-box: 15 patients (50%), p= 0.032). The frequency of need to optimizing maneuver of the airway was in without and with I-box was 23.3% and 50% respectively (p=0.032).

However, the I-box as a physical barrier can protect healthcare workers but its use increased the time to intubation and the number of attempts for successful intubation and reduced the rate of first-pass success intubation and visibility.