Feasibility of a Novel Optoacoustic Device to Precisely Localize Endotracheal Tube Positioning in a Cadaver Model

Abstract : Due to the high likelihood of injury caused by improperly placed intubations and the movement of endotracheal tubes (ETTs) during transport, there is a great need for compact, user-friendly devices that are able to non-invasively detect the location of an ETT. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate a novel optoacoustic device (OAD) as a feasible tool to precisely localize ETT position within the trachea using a cadaver model. Cadavers (n=24) were intubated with ETTs, and the location of the ETT was assessed using the novel OAD, the Prospiria (trademark). A surgical dissection was then performed to ascertain the actual position of the internal optical input within the ETT. Results provide support that the novel OAD is able to accurately detect the location of the internal optical input within 2 cm of its actual location (p0.001).