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NeonatesNCT07444528

Upper Airway Ultrasound to Predict Difficult Laryngoscopy in Neonates and Infants

An observational study of Neonates and Infants Aged 0 Days to 12 Months Scheduled for Elective Surgery, run by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at 1 site in United States.

Enrolling by invitation

Enrolling by invitation. The study team selects and invites participants, usually from an existing group of patients.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Upper airway ultrasound (UA-US) has been utilized in adults to predict difficult laryngoscopy (Cormick-Lehane view 3 or 4) and difficult tracheal intubation (DTI) (≥3 intubation attempts) and with moderate-to-high sensitivity and specificity. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages Up to 365 daysHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Upper airway ultrasound
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
How many people
180 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
2 Mar 2026to 31 Dec 2027
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Up to 365 days
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Study population: Neonates and infants presenting for diagnostic or procedural care under general anesthesia requiring oral endotracheal intubation with video laryngoscopy and neuromuscular blockade.

Who may be able to join

  • Neonates (chronological age 30 days) and infants (31 days to 365 days)
  • ASA physical status I-IV
  • Oral endotracheal intubation for surgical, diagnostic or interventional procedures with neuromuscular blockade
  • Video laryngoscopy
  • Patients with previously classified non-difficult airway (previous easy intubation)
  • Patients with a previously classified difficult airway
  • Patients with congenital heart disease
  • Parental/guardian permission

Who cannot join

  • ASA ≥V
  • Emergency procedure
  • Unable to be placed in supine position for study ultrasound
  • Need for rapid sequence induction

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

United States1 site
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Upper Airway Ultrasound to Predict Difficult Airway Management in Neonates and Infants: A Prospective Observational Study

Upper airway ultrasound (UA-US) has been utilized in adults to predict difficult laryngoscopy (Cormick-Lehane view 3 or 4) and difficult tracheal intubation (DTI) (≥3 intubation attempts) and with moderate-to-high sensitivity and specificity. This bedside technique is reproducible, easy-to-do without any additional radiation risk, and was added to the most recent American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Practice Guidelines for Difficult Airway Management in Adults. However, UA-US has only been applied to older children ages 5-12 and has not been examined in neonates and infants. Thus, the aim of this observational study using UA-US to predict difficult laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation in neonates and infants presenting for diagnostic, procedural or surgical care under general anesthesia requiring endotracheal intubation.

Read the detailed description

Neonates and infants have a higher incidence of difficult laryngoscopy and DTI compared to older children and adults. Classical methods of screening for difficult laryngoscopy or DTI in adults, such as a Mallampati score, thyromental distance, and neck circumference are poorly applied to our smallest patients. UA-US has emerged as a technique to measure several UA parameters at the bedside with impressive sensitivity and specificity for identifying a difficult airway in adult patients, with higher UA-US measurements correlating with higher Cormick-Lehane laryngoscopy scores. UA-US was recently added to the 2022 ASA Practice Guidelines for Difficult Airway Management, specifically distance from the skin to the epiglottis (DSE), distance from the skin to the hyoid bone (DSHB), and tongue thickness (TTh). While UA-US has been minimally studied in children, one study showed high positive and negative predictive values for DTI with DSE and hyomental distance (HMD) in children aged 5-12 years. UA-US has the potential to identify unanticipated difficult airways in neonates and infants but has not been studied in this vulnerable population.

Despite the adoption of video laryngoscopy (VL) for intubation of neonates and infants in many clinical settings, there remains a substantial incidence of difficult glottic exposure and DTI. Garcia-Marcinkiewicz et al. found an incidence of difficult laryngoscopy, defined as a percentage of glottic opening (POGO) score <100 in 33% of neonates and infants intubated with VL. The NEonatal and Children AudiT of Anaesthesia pRactice (NECTARINE) trial, a multicenter prospective study performed in Europe, found a DTI rate of 5.8% amongst neonates and infants requiring intubation for a surgical procedure. Of these difficult intubations, nearly 70% were unplanned, unanticipated difficult airways. Repeated attempts at intubation are correlated with an increased rate of serious complications like severe hypoxemia, airway trauma, and cardiac arrest, and those youngest in age are at highest risk. Unanticipated difficult airways are more likely to increase the number of tracheal intubation attempts required for success.

UA-US could be utilized as a non-invasive, bedside tool to screen neonates and infants for unanticipated difficult laryngoscopy and intubation, facilitating multidisciplinary airway planning, in and out of the operating room, potentially reducing the need for multiple intubation attempts and patient harm. However, UA-US has never been applied to this patient population. This would be an innovative application of a point-of-care ultrasound modality that is currently being utilized in multiple adult care settings (operating room, emergency department and intensive care units). UA-US has similarly broad potential functions in pediatric medicine that are currently being underutilized.

As this is a novel application of this technique in this patient population, the aims of this study are to examine the differences in distribution of UA-US measurements between neonates and infants with and without difficult glottic exposure (POGO score 0-50%) with VL. In adult studies, direct laryngoscopy (DL) is commonly used and difficulty of laryngoscopy typically graded using the Cormick-Lehane grading scale (I-IV). However, airway management differs in neonates and infants. The First-Attempt Success Rate of Video Laryngoscopy In Small Infants (VISI) trial performed in 2020 found a significantly higher success rate of first-intubation success utilizing VL over DL (93% versus 88%, P=0.024.) in neonates and infant presenting for tracheal intubation during surgery. As a result, VL is considered standard of care in this patient population. Further, to test whether UA-US measurements correlate accurately to difficult laryngoscopy and DTI, it is pertinent to standardize the intubation technique to reduce confounding.

The investigators hypothesize that higher UA-US values will be associated with higher odds of having worse POGO scores in neonates and infants intubated with VL.

Being tested
Upper airway ultrasound
Keywords
point of care ultrasound, airway ultrasound, difficult intubation, pediatric intubation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Upper airway ultrasoundOther

    The investigator will perform 6 UA-US measurements will be obtained with a high frequency linear array or curvilinear US probe following induction of anesthesia but prior to laryngoscopy or TI: distance from the skin to the epiglottis, distance from the skin to the hyoid bone, distance from skin to vocal cords, hyomental distance, tongue thickness, and tongue cross-sectional area.

Study groups in NCT07444528
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
neonates and infants requiring oral tracheal intubation with VL and neuromuscular blockadeThe investigator will perform 6 UA-US measurements will be obtained with a high frequency linear array or curvilinear US probe following induction of anesthesia but prior to laryngoscopy or TI: distance from the skin to the epiglottis, distance from the skin to the hyoid bone, distance from skin to vocal cords, hyomental distance, tongue thickness, and tongue cross-sectional area. Following UA-US, oral tracheal intubation will occur with VL and neuromuscular blockade as clinical standard of care. At the time of tracheal intubation, the study team will record the percent of glottic opening (POGO) score and additional study endpoints.
Receives: Other: Upper airway ultrasound

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Percentage of Glottic Opening (POGO) score

    (0-25%; >25-50%; >50-75%; >75-100%). Lower POGO scores correlate with a worse view of the glottic opening (Cormack-Lehane III-IV) and difficult laryngoscopy.

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Difficult tracheal intubation

    > or = 3 intubation attempts

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.

  2. Time to successful intubation in seconds

    Time from laryngoscope insertion to confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) placement/end tidal capnography

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.

  3. First attempt success

    Number of intubations successful on the first-attempt

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.

  4. Use of advancement maneuvers

    Shift blade left, laryngoscope blade retracted or pulled back blade, ETT receded and then advanced

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Mar 2026
  2. Study start2 Mar 2026
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
180 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07444528
Sponsor's protocol ID
25-023870
Other IDs
PRJ-00001922
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
24 Feb 2026
Last updated
4 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Corder W, Nelin T, Ades AM, Flibotte J, Laverriere E, Daly Guris R, Soorikian L, Foglia EE. Association between video laryngoscopy characteristics and successful neonatal tracheal intubation: a prospective study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2024 Jul 1:fetalneonatal-2024-326992. doi: 10.1136/fetalneonatal-2024-326992. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 38951017
  • Haubner LY, Barry JS, Johnston LC, Soghier L, Tatum PM, Kessler D, Downes K, Auerbach M. Neonatal intubation performance: room for improvement in tertiary neonatal intensive care units. Resuscitation. 2013 Oct;84(10):1359-64. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.03.014. Epub 2013 Apr 3.

    PubMed 23562374
  • Benumof JL, Cooper SD. Quantitative improvement in laryngoscopic view by optimal external laryngeal manipulation. J Clin Anesth. 1996 Mar;8(2):136-40. doi: 10.1016/0952-8180(95)00198-0.

    PubMed 8695096
  • Bacon ER, Phelan MP, Doyle DJ. Tips and Troubleshooting for Use of the GlideScope Video Laryngoscope for Emergency Endotracheal Intubation. Am J Emerg Med. 2015 Sep;33(9):1273-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2015.05.003. Epub 2015 May 13.

    PubMed 26008581
  • Andruszkiewicz P, Wojtczak J, Sobczyk D, Stach O, Kowalik I. Effectiveness and Validity of Sonographic Upper Airway Evaluation to Predict Difficult Laryngoscopy. J Ultrasound Med. 2016 Oct;35(10):2243-52. doi: 10.7863/ultra.15.11098. Epub 2016 Aug 31.

    PubMed 27582532
  • Wu J, Dong J, Ding Y, Zheng J. Role of anterior neck soft tissue quantifications by ultrasound in predicting difficult laryngoscopy. Med Sci Monit. 2014 Nov 18;20:2343-50. doi: 10.12659/MSM.891037.

    PubMed 25403231
  • Adhikari S, Zeger W, Schmier C, Crum T, Craven A, Frrokaj I, Pang H, Shostrom V. Pilot study to determine the utility of point-of-care ultrasound in the assessment of difficult laryngoscopy. Acad Emerg Med. 2011 Jul;18(7):754-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2011.01099.x. Epub 2011 Jun 27.

    PubMed 21707828
  • Pinto J, Cordeiro L, Pereira C, Gama R, Fernandes HL, Assuncao J. Predicting difficult laryngoscopy using ultrasound measurement of distance from skin to epiglottis. J Crit Care. 2016 Jun;33:26-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2016.01.029. Epub 2016 Feb 11.

    PubMed 26948251
  • Carsetti A, Sorbello M, Adrario E, Donati A, Falcetta S. Airway Ultrasound as Predictor of Difficult Direct Laryngoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Anesth Analg. 2022 Apr 1;134(4):740-750. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005839.

    PubMed 34914641
  • Fernandez-Vaquero MA, De Luis-Cabezon N, Garcia-Aroca MA, Alvarez-Avello JM, Vives-Santacana M, Greif R, Martinez-Hurtado ED, Ly-Liu D. Pilot multicenter study to determine the utility of point-of-care ultrasound to predict difficulty of tracheal intubation using videolaryngoscopy with the McGrath Mac videolaryngoscope. Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Jul 19;11:1406676. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1406676. eCollection 2024.

    PubMed 39099593
  • Levitan RM, Ochroch EA, Kush S, Shofer FS, Hollander JE. Assessment of airway visualization: validation of the percentage of glottic opening (POGO) scale. Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Sep;5(9):919-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1998.tb02823.x.

    PubMed 9754506
  • Lee JH, Turner DA, Kamat P, Nett S, Shults J, Nadkarni VM, Nishisaki A; Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI); National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEAR4KIDS). The number of tracheal intubation attempts matters! A prospective multi-institutional pediatric observational study. BMC Pediatr. 2016 Apr 29;16:58. doi: 10.1186/s12887-016-0593-y.

    PubMed 27130327
  • Graciano AL, Tamburro R, Thompson AE, Fiadjoe J, Nadkarni VM, Nishisaki A. Incidence and associated factors of difficult tracheal intubations in pediatric ICUs: a report from National Emergency Airway Registry for Children: NEAR4KIDS. Intensive Care Med. 2014 Nov;40(11):1659-69. doi: 10.1007/s00134-014-3407-4. Epub 2014 Aug 27.

    PubMed 25160031
  • Disma N, Virag K, Riva T, Kaufmann J, Engelhardt T, Habre W; NECTARINE Group of the European Society of Anaesthesiology Clinical Trial Network; AUSTRIA (Maria Vittinghoff); BELGIUM (Francis Veyckemans); CROATIA (Sandra Kralik); CZECH REPUBLIC (Jiri Zurek); DENMARK (Tom Hansen); ESTONIA (Reet Kikas); FINLAND (Tuula Manner); FRANCE (Christophe Dadure, Anne Lafargue); GERMANY (Karin Becke, Claudia Hoehne); GREECE (Anna Malisiova); HUNGARY (Andrea Szekely); IRELAND (Brendan O'Hare); ITALY (Nicola Disma); LATVIA (Zane Straume); LITHUANIA (Laura Lukosiene); LUXEMBOURG (Bernd Schmitz); MALTA (Francis Borg); NETHERLANDS (Jurgen de Graaff); NORWAY (Wenche B Boerke); POLAND (Marzena Zielinska); PORTUGAL (Maria Domingas Patuleia); ROMANIA (Radu Tabacaru); SERBIA (Dusica Simic); SLOVAKIA (Miloslav Hanula); SLOVENIA (Jelena Berger); SPAIN (Ignacio Galvez Escalera); SWEDEN (Albert Castellheim); SWITZERLAND (Walid Habre); TURKEY (Dilek Ozcengiz - Zehra Hatipoglu); UKRAINE (Dmytro Dmytriiev); UNITED KINGDOM (Thomas Engelhardt, Suellen Walker); Management Team. Difficult tracheal intubation in neonates and infants. NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE): a prospective European multicentre observational study. Br J Anaesth. 2021 Jun;126(6):1173-1181. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2021.02.021. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

    PubMed 33812665
  • Garcia-Marcinkiewicz AG, Kovatsis PG, Hunyady AI, Olomu PN, Zhang B, Sathyamoorthy M, Gonzalez A, Kanmanthreddy S, Galvez JA, Franz AM, Peyton J, Park R, Kiss EE, Sommerfield D, Griffis H, Nishisaki A, von Ungern-Sternberg BS, Nadkarni VM, McGowan FX Jr, Fiadjoe JE; PeDI Collaborative investigators. First-attempt success rate of video laryngoscopy in small infants (VISI): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2020 Dec 12;396(10266):1905-1913. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32532-0.

    PubMed 33308472

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Neonates and Infants Aged 0 Days to 12 Months Scheduled for Elective Surgery, run by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Percentage of Glottic Opening (POGO) score (time frame: From enrollment to the end of successful tracheal intubation, approximately 30 minutes.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07444528, which also lists 23 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2026.

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