Ultrasound GEL Difficult Airway Prediction
Mar 16, 2026
They explore using ultrasound to predict difficult intubations and the many neck measurements under study. The conversation covers study design, specific anterior neck metrics like skin-to-epiglottis and tongue-to-oral-height ratio, and reported cutoffs and accuracy. Practicality, reproducibility, regional differences, and limits of current evidence are debated.
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POCUS Speckle Tracking Diagnosed Reverse Takotsubo
- Mike presented a case of reverse Takotsubo where POCUS with speckle tracking showed atypical strain with normal coronary arteries on cath.
- Advanced POCUS measurements guided ICU management and inotrope use for a 76-year-old post-op shock patient.
POCUS Finds Hidden Difficult Airways
- Ultrasound can reveal hidden difficult airways among patients who look easy from the door.
- The study targeted unanticipated difficult airways by excluding already-anticipated difficult patients and measured pre-laryngoscopy ultrasound metrics in the OR.
Scan Before Laryngoscopy And Blind The Result
- Perform airway ultrasound before laryngoscopy and keep results blinded from the intubator to avoid bias.
- In the study one trained operator did scans pre-op and the intubator used standard Macintosh blades for the first attempt.