Efficacy of Surface Landmark Palpation for Identification of the Cricoid Cartilage in Obstetric Patients

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02416219

Enrollment

Registered

2015-04-14

Start date

2015-05-31

Completion date

2016-03-31

Last updated

2016-03-03

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

Conditions

Aspiration Pneumonia

Keywords

Cricoid cartilage, cricoid pressure, obstetric

Brief summary

Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI), with cricoid pressure is advocated for all obstetric patients undergoing general anesthesia. Applying cricoid pressure correctly is crucial to prevent aspiration. Using Ultrasound guidance we will be assessing the ability of different disciplines of caregivers to correctly localize the cricoid cartilage in obstetric patients by anatomical landmark palpation.

Detailed description

Obstetric patients coming for elective cesarean delivery will be recruited for the study. Informed consent will be obtained from the patient. The participant (anesthesiologist, resident, nurse, or RT) will mark the center of the cricoid cartilage with the patient in the sniffing position, using fluorescent invisible ink. Another anesthesiologist who is expert in using ultrasound will find the proximal and distal margins of the cricoid cartilage an will draw a line at the middle of the 2 margins. Evaluation of the participant's assessment will be considered accurate if it falls within 5 mm from the ultrasound's measured line .The assessor will also be asked to score the ease of cricoid cartilage palpation between 1 to 10 using a visual analog scoring (VAS) scale. Total time taken for palpation will also be measured.

Interventions

PROCEDURECricoid pressure

participants will ask to mark the place where they will apply cricoid pressure if the patients was undergoing rapid sequence induction. US will be used to confirm how accurate they are in their estimation.

DEVICEUltrasound

Study design

Observational model

CASE_ONLY

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Patient 18 years and older * ASA 1-2•Having singleton pregnancy. * Gestational age \>37. * Elective cesarean section

Exclusion criteria

* Patient refusal. * Renal failure. * Severe preeclampsia. * Non- scheduled caesarean delivery (urgent). * Twin pregnancy.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Distance between measured Cricoid cartilage (by Assessors) and Ultrasound	10 minutes
The level of difficulty to locate Cricoid cartilage NRS score	10 minutes
Total time required for assessment	10 seconds

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

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