Study Examining Parker-Flex Endotracheal Tube for Obese Patients

A recent article examined the use of Parker Flex-Tip tubes to standard ETTs for oral fiberoptic intubation and concluded that there was a significant benefit in terms of difficulty encountered when using the Parker Flex-Tip. The Parker Flex-Tip tracheal tube has a flexible, curved, and tapered tip design different from traditional endotracheal tubes. The design allows the tube to lie closely against the fiberoptic scope that is often used to facilitate intubation, resulting in a smaller gap between the ETT and the fiberoptic scope. This may allow the ETT to clear anatomic obstructions more easily. The patients they examined had an average body mass index (BMI) categorized as normal weight. To our knowledge, there have not been any studies that have investigated the use of the Parker Flex-Tube for fiberoptic intubations in patients categorized as obese by BMI. Our hypothesis is that the Parker Flex-Tip ETT results in easier passage of the ETT over a fiberoptic scope during elective fiberoptic intubation of obese patients in comparison to a traditional ETT.