Management of endotracheal tube dislodgement during transoral oropharyngolaryngeal surgery: A multicenter cross-sectional survey study

Objective To investigate the knowledge, practice and training needs of otolaryngologists and anesthesiologists on endotracheal tube dislodgement (ETTD) during oropharyngeal surgery. Methods A multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted among otorhinolaryngology and anesthesiologists from several hospitals in China through the wechat "Questionnaire Star" platform. Results A total of 321 valid questionnaires were collected (220 from otorhinolaryngology department and 101 from anesthesiology department). 61.1% of the participants experienced at least one ETTD. The longer the length of service, the better the knowledge of ETTD, and the higher the number of ETTD cases. Educational background has a significant impact on the knowledge of ETTD and the number of cases encountered by anesthesiologists. There were significant differences in the definition of high-risk groups of ETTD, the cognition of the main causes of ETTD and the ways of finding ETTD between the two groups. Emergency reintubation was mainly performed by anesthesiologists. ETTD can lead to complications, ICU transfer and even death in a small number of patients, and then cause medical disputes. 95.6% of the respondents thought that it was quite necessary to carry out ETTD-related knowledge training. Conclusions The incidence of ETTD is high in transoropharyngeal surgery. There are significant inter-disciplinary differences in the cognition and management of ETTD between otolaryngologists and anesthesiologists.