Superior Laryngeal Nerve Block For Awake Endotracheal Intubation Study

Superior Laryngeal Nerve Block For Airway Anesthesia Efficacy Study

Status

Terminated

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01848548

Enrollment

Registered

2013-05-07

Start date

2013-04-30

Completion date

2017-07-31

Last updated

2017-11-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Airway Anesthesia, Awake Endotracheal Intubation, Difficult Intubation

Brief summary

Awake tracheal intubation is the standard management for patients as risk for airway compromise. It is also commonly done in cases where there is significant cervical spine pathology i.e. cervical myelopathy or instability. The anesthetic technique used for the awake intubation is crucial to the patient's safety. One of the most important aspects of the anesthetic technique is airway anesthesia prior to placement of an endotracheal tube. The superior laryngeal nerve is responsible for mediating the cough reflex around the vocal cords. The investigators have developed an approach to reliably block the superior laryngeal nerve by injecting local anesthetic near the nerve in a unique approach. Injecting local anesthetic into or through the thyrohyoid membrane will effectively block the superior laryngeal nerve

Interventions

PROCEDURESuperior Laryngeal Nerve Block using the Thyrohyoid Membrane as an Anatomic Landmark

The needle is introduced just lateral to midline above the thyroid notch in a slightly medial direction so as to enter the thyrohyoid membrane, and inserted about 1-1.5 cm. Three milliliters of 2% lidocaine is injected.

Study design

Observational model

CASE_ONLY

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients between the ages of 18-80 requiring an awake intubation for endotracheal intubation. 2. Ability to speak and understand English

Exclusion criteria

1. Allergy to lidocaine 2. Emergent operative case 3. Therapeutic anticoagulation 4. Mouth opening less than 2 cm

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The primary outcome measure is to assess the efficacy of blocking the superior laryngeal nerve by using cough at the vocal cords on a 4 point scale	Immediate Perioperative period

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Time to placement of block	Immediate Perioperative Period

Other

Measure	Time frame
During the intubation the lowest mean arterial blood pressure (MAP)	Immediate Perioperative Period
The lowest heart rate(HR) during intubation	Immediate Perioperative Period
The lowest respiratory rate during the intubation	Immediate Perioperative Period

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026