Abstract
Objective: Surgical securing of a patent airway is a life-saving procedure in the scenarios where other methods have failed. The aim of this study was to evaluate bougie-assisted cricothyrotomy (BACT) on a porcine model.
Design: Interventional pilot study performed on a porcine model. Materials and methods: We performed bougie-assisted cricothyrotomy on 10 mini-pigs under general anaesthesia.
The following parameters were measured: procedure duration, success rate and number of attempts needed. Other evaluated parameters included anatomical location of the incision, trauma to the posterior tracheal wall and other complications.
Results: The success rate of the procedure was 100% with a median time needed for insertion 72.5 s (min. 35 s, max. 160 s). We detected one case of trauma to the tracheal mucosa on the posterior tracheal wall.
In one animal, BACT was performed incorrectly between the first and second tracheal rings. Conclusions: BACT performed on a porcine model is a simple, effective and quick method, with a potentially low complication rate.