AI could spot tough intubations before surgery
NCT ID NCT01612949
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aims to develop a computer algorithm that uses three facial photographs to predict how difficult it will be to insert a breathing tube (intubation). Researchers will compare this automated method to traditional exams in 3,500 patients needing intubation. If accurate, the tool could provide a consistent, objective way to anticipate challenges and improve patient safety.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a simple, accurate tool to predict difficult intubation, reducing complications and improving patient safety.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on developing an algorithm, not testing a treatment. The tool may not prove more accurate than existing methods, and results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 3,500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2012
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients undergoing surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation; patients from all ethnic groups
- Ages
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18 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients requiring endotracheal intubation * Patients consenting to acquisition of photographic images of the head and neck Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who had undergone head or neck surgery * Patients in whom central venous catheters or other interventions that prevent full view of the features of the face in frontal and profile views * Patients who were neither easy nor difficult to intubate by our criteria
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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