Airway Ultrasound Training for Difficult Airways

(ALUDA Trial)

This study aims to determine how many supervised practice attempts anesthesia trainees need to become competent in using ultrasound to assess the airway. Airway ultrasound may help clinicians identify anatomical features associated with a difficult airway, which can make breathing support or placement of a breathing tube more challenging during anesthesia. However, the amount of training needed to perform these ultrasound measurements accurately has not been established.

Eight anesthesia trainees will receive theoretical instruction and hands-on training before performing ultrasound assessments on 20 healthy adult volunteers. The trainees will measure tongue thickness and the distances from the skin to the epiglottis and vocal cords. Their measurements will be compared with those of experienced airway ultrasound experts to assess accuracy and determine how many attempts are needed to achieve competency. A follow-up assessment three months later will evaluate whether the trainees retain their skills.

The study hypothesis is that anesthesia trainees can achieve competency in airway ultrasound assessment after a limited number of supervised practice attempts and retain these skills over time. The findings may help establish evidence-based training requirements for airway ultrasound assessment.