Airway Management
Airway management is one of the core competencies in the field of anaesthesia. The Airway Management research group investigates new approaches, devices, and strategies for the management of normal and difficult airways. We develop surveys and perform randomised controlled trials, open observational studies, and quality improvement trials to provide evidence of the feasibility of their use.
To fulfil our academic duties we mentor several Master of Medicine and doctoral thesis students at the University of Bern. The research group investigators are members of the European Airway Management Society (EAMS; www.eamshq.net), the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SGI/SSMI), the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the ERC Research NET.
Our research focus
Our group investigates the effectiveness and efficiency of a variety of different airway devices in the clinical setting, and how their handling and proper application in adult and paediatric patients can be learned. We focus on improving patient care and reducing side effects of airway management, as well as gathering insight into the physiology behind new airway management approaches.
Specific research topics
Past research included comparisons of different supraglottic airway devices in adults and children, their use in clinical practice, intubation through supraglottic airway devices, a variety of video laryngoscopes, rigid and flexible optical scopes, and front-of-neck access. We also investigate the effects of high-flow nasal cannula delivery of oxygen and the physiologic changes that occur with the use of apnoeic oxygenation.
Current research projects include the “LaryngOscoPy for neonaTal and infant aIrway Management wIth Supplemental oxygEn: a multi-center prospective randomized controlled trial (OPTIMISE-trial)” and the "aPneic oxygEnation duriNg emerGent intUbation of critically ill childreN: a multi-center randomized controlled trial (Penguin Trial)". Both research projects are coordinated from our center and conducted in several worldwide children’s hospitals and swiss pediatric intensive care units. The Penguin-trial was honored with the SGI/SSMI Young Investigator Research Grant 2021.
Research Group Members
Alexander Fuchs, Dr. med.
E-Mail: alexander.fuchs@insel.ch
Robert Greif, Prof. Dr. med.
E-Mail: robert.greif@insel.ch
PubMed
Collaborators
- Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau – Lorenz Theiler
- Hopitâl Universitaire de Genève, Switzerland – Walid Habre and Peter Rimensberger
- Kinderspital Luzern, Luzern – Martin Stocker
- Ostschweizer Kinderspital, Sankt Gallen – Bjarte Rogdo
- Istituto pediatrico della Svizzera Italiana – Monica Regazzi and Luciano Anselmi
- Gaslini Children’s Hospital, Genua, Italy - Nicola Disma
- Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Australia – Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg
- Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, Canada – Thomas Engelhardt
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia – Annery Garcia-Marcinkiewicz
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston – John Fiadjoe
- VU University Center Amsterdam, NL – Hans Huitink
- Marmara University Istanbul, Turkey – Ayten Saracoglu
- Health Sciences University, Kocaeli, Turkey – Kamil Tolga Saracoglu
- Hospital Universitario, Zaragoza, Spain – Guillermo Navarro
- Western University, London, Ontario, Canada – Rüdiger Noppens