UK’s NICE Recommends Ambu aScope2 for Endotracheal Intubation
The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a positive recommendation for the use of Ambu aScope2 by the National Health Service (NHS). The device is indicated for use when physicians encounter unexpected difficulties in positioning a temporary tube in a patient's airway, and when emergency action is needed to keep the airway open.
NICE concluded that the device is an acceptable alternative, when the current gold standard device used for managing difficult intubation - a multiple-use fibre optic endoscope (a thin flexible camera) - is unavailable.
There are an estimated 22,000 instances each year in the UK where there are unexpected difficulties with endotracheal intubation in patients. In some cases, this can result in patients being brain-damaged or dying because unexpected problems with keeping the airway open have left the patient starved of oxygen. This guidance can help clinical units fill a current gap in provision, and make sure that this effective device is available at the point of need in an emergency.