The Airway Management Research Group, as part of PARNET, collaborates with leading hospitals and medical institutions worldwide to advance research in airway management in anaesthesia, and critical care. Key partnerships include renowned centres such as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (USA), the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids, Canada), Gaslini Children’s Hospital (Italy), Perth Children’s Hospital (Australia), Montreal Children’s Hospital (Canada), the Rigshospitalet (Denmark), and Hospital das Clínicas at the Faculdade de Medicina in São Paulo (Brazil).
In Switzerland, the group maintains close collaborations with Kantonsspital Aarau, CHUV Lausanne, HUG Genève, Kantonsspital Luzern, HOCH Health Ostschweiz in St. Gallen, and Swiss Air Rescue (Rega) in Zurich. Further collaboration extends to the Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Padova (Italy). This extensive international and national network enables the group to conduct multi-centre clinical trials, systematic reviews, and data-driven research, driving innovation in paediatric and adult airway management, emergency care, and perioperative medicine.
Research Focus and Key Themes
1. Optimising oxygenation and ventilation
The group investigates apnoeic oxygenation techniques, focusing on their role in extending safe apnoea time and preventing oxygen desaturation in neonates and infants. These studies aim to improve safety during procedures in apnoeic oxygenation, but also as a method for peroxygenation during laryngoscopy in elective and emergency airway management in adult and paediatric patients.
2. Supraglottic jet ventilation and airway surgery
Another major research stream focuses on supraglottic jet ventilation, an emerging technology that enables oxygenation and ventilation during tubeless surgery and in patients with difficult or compromised airways. This technique offers promising applications for airway rescue scenarios and complex airway surgery, with ongoing trials assessing physiological and clinical outcomes.
3. Emergency airway management
The team conducts large-scale studies and simulation-based research to optimise emergency airway management strategies. These include evaluating video laryngoscopy, rescue oxygenation methods, supraglottic airway devices, and emergency front of neck airway (eFONA). The tram aims to enhance first-attempt intubation success rates, reduce adverse events associated with airway management and improve patient safety.
4. Perioperative safety and medical education
A further area of investigation involves perioperative safety interventions in human factor and ergonomics, including the development and evaluation of checklists, assessment of workflow and non-technicall skills, and the design of training and educational programs to improve compliance with standardised safety protocols. The group integrates simulation-based learning and team training to foster a culture of safety in the operating room and emergency settings.
5. Prehospital and emergency medicine
Through close collaboration with emergency and retrieval services such as Schutz & Rettung Bern, or the Swiss Air Rescue, the group studies prehospital airway management, critical care transport, and outcomes of pre-hospital patients, aiming to develop optimised protocols and equipment for challenging environments. Ongoing projects investigate how innovations in training, equipment, and decision support can improve patient outcomes in emergency and out-of-hospital settings and the quality of care.
6. Artificial intelligence (AI) and technological innovation
An emerging focus involves the development and validation of AI-assisted tools for airway management. The group investigates how machine learning algorithms and computer vision can assist clinicians during tracheal intubation by providing real-time guidance, predicting difficulty, and reducing complications. These initiatives form part of the group’s broader goal to integrate advanced technology into clinical anaesthesia practice safely and effectively.
7. Leadership in Evidence-Based Guidelines and International Collaboration
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Riva and PD Dr. med. Alexander Fuchs have both contributed to the 2024 joint British Journal of Anaesthesiology (BJA) and European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) guidelines on airway management in neonates and infants and to the ESAIC guidelines on the use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in paediatric patients. Their participation in these consensus initiatives underlines the group’s active role in international expert networks and evidence-based guideline development, strengthening Inselspital’s contribution to global standards in airway management.
