Classification and Prediction of Difficult Awake Tracheal Intubation With Flexible Bronchoscopes

Airway management problems are key drivers for anesthesia-related adverse events. Awake tracheal intubation using flexible bronchoscopes with preserved spontaneous breathing (ATI:FB) is a recommended technique to manage difficult tracheal intubation in anesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine. However, a prospective developed classification for this type of airway management is lacking. Due to the absence of a specifically tailored, validated classification for awake intubation with flexible bronchoscopes, many airway operators and institutions use classification tools that were originally developed for direct laryngoscopy, such as the percentage of glottic opening (POGO) score or Cormack-Lehane classification, although their diagnostic performance for the classification of ATI:FB is unknown. This prospective model development and validation study aims to develop two multivariab