Correlation between ultrasound-guided subglottic diameter and little finger breadth with the outer diameter of the endotracheal tube in paediatric patients - A prospective observational study.

Background And Aims: Selection of an appropriate endotracheal tube (ETT) in paediatric patients is a challenging situation. The purpose of this study was to compare whether measurement of subglottic diameter with ultrasound or the age-old little finger width correlates better with the outer diameter (OD) of the ETT used for intubation.

Methods: Following approval from the Institutional Ethics board and a written informed consent from parent or guardian, this prospective observational study was carried out on 60 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II patients aged 6 months-8 years, scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia requiring oral endotracheal intubation.