Objective skill evaluation of endotracheal intubation using muscle contraction sensor

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a difficult technique and requires a great deal of practice to master. Research on the difference in movements between experts and novices performing the procedure has shown that experts perform movements more precisely than novices. Experts keep a fixed posture and use the upper arm muscles and wrist joints more effectively. These studies were conducted using optical motion capture systems and surface electromyography (sEMG), which are measurement systems that require a long setup time and expensive equipment. In this paper, we propose a novel method to measure the biomechanical performance of doctors during ETI using an innovative muscle contraction sensing device (MC sensor) and inertial measurement units (IMUs). We performed several experiments to measure the movements of both experts and novices performing ETI and then analysed and compared the obtained data. The results clearly showed that our system, comprising an MC sensor and IMUs, allows for an objective evaluation of ETI skills and highlighted the major differences between the movements of novices and experts.