Fingers Grip as good as Conventional Pen-Holding Grip for holding Endotracheal tube before Intubation - Study

Conclusion and Limitations

The study concluded that the between-the-finger grip proved to be an equally good method to hold the endotracheal tube for orotracheal intubation as compared to the standard method. The findings suggest that this modified grip can reduce the requirement for external assistance in BURP and decrease the time necessary to accomplish the ETI. However, the study had some limitations, such as being a single-center trial and a lack of available literature to guide the sample size calculation. Nevertheless, the modified grip's efficacy was demonstrated, and the study suggests its potential as an alternative to the conventional pen-holding grip for ETT placement during orotracheal intubation.

Key Points

1. The primary objective of the study was to compare the number of attempts required for orotracheal intubation and the comparison of the requirement of external assistance in the form of the BURP maneuver to perform endotracheal intubation. The secondary objectives were to compare the time taken for intubation for each grip and the haemodynamic parameters (heart rate and mean arterial pressure) in the two groups. The study found that the modified grip group had a significantly lower requirement for assistance in the form of BURP and a reduced time for tracheal intubation compared to the conventional group. The haemodynamic parameters were statistically comparable in both groups, and the demographic distribution of the study patients was also comparable between the two study groups.

2. The study concluded that the between-the-finger grip proved to be an equally effective method to hold the endotracheal tube for orotracheal intubation compared to the standard method. The findings suggest that this modified grip can reduce the requirement for external assistance in BURP and decrease the time necessary to accomplish the intubation. However, the study had some limitations, such as being a single-center trial and a lack of available literature to guide the sample size calculation. Nevertheless, the modified grip's efficacy was demonstrated, and the study suggests its potential as an alternative to the conventional pen-holding grip for ETT placement during orotracheal intubation.

Reference –

Thakur S, Tewari P, Shamshery C, Mishra P. To compare the efficacy of the between the fingers grip with the conventional pen holding grip to hold an endotracheal tube for orotracheal intubation: A randomised controlled trial. Indian J Anaesth 2024;68:527-32.