Use of the bougie in simulated difficult intubation. 2. Comparison of single-use bougie with multiple-use bougie.

We studied the success rates for tracheal intubation in 32 healthy, anaesthetised patients during simulated grade IIIa laryngoscopy, randomised to either the multiple-use or the single-use bougie. Success rates (primary end-point) and times taken (secondary end-point) to achieve tracheal intubation were recorded. The multiple-use bougie was more successful than the single-use one (15/16 successful intubations vs. 9/16; p = 0.03). With either device, median [range] total tracheal intubation times for successful attempts were < 54 [24-84] s and there were no clinically important differences between these times. We conclude that the multiple-use bougie is a more reliable aid to tracheal intubation than the single-use introducer in grade IIIa laryngoscopy.