High Flow Oxygen in Patients Undergoing Suspension Laryngoscopy Under General Anesthesia (OxALa)

April 2, 2026 updated by: CMC Ambroise Paré

Apneic Oxygenation Using Transnasal Humidified Rapid-Insufflation Ventilatory Exchange (THRIVE) in Adult Patients Undergoing Suspension Laryngoscopy Under General Anesthesia: a Multicenter Study

Patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy under general anaesthesia have oxygen delivered to their lungs through different methods. Inserting a tube in the trachea is the best means for oxygen delivery. However, it does not allow for optimal visibility of the operated area. Other techniques can be used but have disadvantages with some being associated with serious complications. No consensus exists regarding the best airway management technique for this intervention.

The aim of the study is to investigate a new device that delivers oxygen at very high flow through a nasal cannula in patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy under general anaesthesia. This technique allows the surgeon to have a perfect visualisation of the laryngeal structures while allowing the delivery of oxygen for the lungs.

After informed consent, adult patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy under general anaesthesia in two French hospitals will receive high flow oxygen throughout the procedure. At the end of surgery or, whenever applicable, at the time of technique failure (with a decrease in blood oxygen saturation to less than 92%), blood will be drawn for analysis. All patients will have a thin security catheter inserted in their trachea (the currently used technique in both participating hospitals), allowing for rescue high frequency ventilation if ever the study technique fails.

The safety of the device will also be assessed by analysing the blood samples for signs of carbon dioxide accumulation and by collecting any intra or post-operative complications.

If the device shows to be effective at maintaining blood oxygenation without significant associated risks, it could be used for other surgical situations where airway management is expected to be difficult.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Suspension laryngoscopy is a surgical intervention for which no airway management recommendations exist.

Many techniques are used, each having limitations. While tracheal intubation is the gold standard of airway management, in this particular intervention, it does not allow for optimal visualisation of the larynx. Maintaining spontaneous ventilation under general anaesthesia is used by some teams but puts the patient at the risk of laryngospasm. Apneic oxygenation is another option but its use is limited by the associated risk of hypercapnia. High frequency jet ventilation allows for good surgical conditions, satisfactory blood oxygen delivery and a low risk of hypercapnia; however, its use has been associated with severe, sometimes deadly, complications.

Nasal High Flow oxygenation is a relatively novel technique that allows for the delivery of heated and humidified oxygen with flow ranging up to 70l/min. It is widely used in neonatal and adult critical care. Its use in apneic patients under general anaesthesia has been reported to be associated with a mean of 14 minutes of desaturation-free apnea time with limited risk of hypercapnia. Desaturation-free apnea times up to 60 minutes have been reported. The use of nasal high flow apneic oxygenation in suspension laryngoscopy has been reported once in the literature with encouraging results.

The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of nasal high flow oxygen in maintaining normal blood oxygen saturation (>95%) in apneic patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy under general anaesthesia.

Adult patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy (laser surgeries and cavoscopies excluded) in two french hospitals will be screened for eligibility by the anaesthesiologist during the preoperative consultation. Consenting and eligible patients will be enrolled in the study.

After pre oxygenation (until etO2 >90%), general anaesthesia will be started and maintained using TIVA propofol and remifentanil. Neuromuscular blockade will be achieved using rocuronium.

As soon as apnea is obtained, nasal high flow oxygen will be started at 70l/min using Simplified OptiflowTM (Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand) . A transglottic high frequency jet ventilation catheter will also be placed in the trachea to allow for emergency ventilation if high flow oxygenation fails to maintain SpO2>92%.

Oxygen saturation, blood pressure, pulse rate, BIS and neuromuscular blockade will be monitored throughout the surgery.

At the end of surgery (maximum 30 minutes), or as soon as blood oxygen saturation falls below 92%, whichever comes first, arterial blood for blood-gas analysis (PaO2, PaCO2, pH) will be drawn.

Neuromuscular blockade will be reversed with neostigmine or sugammadex depending on the depth of nerve block.

If the technique is shown to be associated with a low risk of blood oxygen desaturation and of severe hypercapnia, it could be considered for predictable difficult airway management.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
29

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • France
    • Île-de-France Region
      • Saint-Cloud, Île-de-France Region, France, 92310
        • Hôpital René Huguenin - Institut Curie
      • Suresnes, Île-de-France Region, France, 92151
        • Hopital Foch

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Consent for participation
  • Affiliation to the french social security system
  • Patients undergoing any suspension laryngoscopy other than laser surgery and cavoscopy and expected to last less than 30 minutes

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy
  • Epilepsy
  • Arrhythmia
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Lung disease with basal SpO2<95%
  • Obstructive laryngeal tumor
  • BMI>30kg.m-2

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: High Flow Apneic Oxygenation
Apneic oxygenation using Transnasal Humidified Rapid-Insufflation Ventilatory Exchange (THRIVE)
Device: Nasal High Flow Oxygen
Nasal High Flow Oxygen during apnoea using Optiflow device of Fisher and Paykel

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Incidence of oxygen desaturation SpO2<95% in the first fifteen minutes of apnea in patients undergoing suspension laryngoscopy under general anesthesia and receiving nasal high flow oxygen
Time Frame: throughout the first fifteen minutes following the start of apnea, ie following general anesthesia and neuromuscular blockade
throughout the first fifteen minutes following the start of apnea, ie following general anesthesia and neuromuscular blockade

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Incidence of oxygen desaturation SpO2<95% throughout surgery
Time Frame: throughout surgery (maximum thirty minutes)
throughout surgery (maximum thirty minutes)
Duration between start of apnea and oxygen desaturation spO2<95%
Time Frame: throughout surgery (maximum thirty minutes)
throughout surgery (maximum thirty minutes)
Incidence of hypercapnia (PaCO2>60mmHg) at the end of surgery or at technique failure
Time Frame: At the end of surgery (maximum thirty minutes) or at technique failure (upon blood oxygen desaturation SpO2<92%)
At the end of surgery (maximum thirty minutes) or at technique failure (upon blood oxygen desaturation SpO2<92%)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
CMC Ambroise Paré

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Mary SAAD, MD, Institut Curie

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 5, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 24, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 24, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 14, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 14, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 21, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2018/04

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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