NCT06307392: BETA

Bougie Versus Endotracheal Tube Alone on First-attempt Intubation Success in Prehospital Emergency Intubation (BETA Trial)

Recruiting now NA Last updated 23 January 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing First intubation attempt with endotracheal tube plus bougie in Acute Respiratory Failure Requiring Intubation in 710 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

26 March 2024

Primary endpoint
26 March 2027

31 March 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Nantes University Hospital
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	710
Start date	26 March 2024
Primary completion	26 March 2027
Estimated completion	31 March 2027
Sites	10 locations across France

Drugs / interventions tested

• First intubation attempt with endotracheal tube plus bougie
• First intubation attempt with endotracheal tube alone

Conditions studied

• Acute Respiratory Failure Requiring Intubation — all drugs for Acute Respiratory Failure Requiring Intubation →

Sponsor

Nantes University Hospital

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Acute Respiratory Failure Requiring Intubation. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Emergency intubation is routinely performed in the prehospital setting. Airway management in the prehospital setting has substantial challenges, such as hostile environment or lack of technical support in case of first attempt intubation failure, and inherent risk of complications, such as hypoxemia, aspiration or oesophageal intubation. This risk is higher when several attempts are needed to succeed endotracheal intubation. Thus, a successful first attempt intubation is highly desirable to avoid adverse intubation-related events. Noteworthy, prehospital emergency intubation is associated with a lower rate of first attempt intubation success when compared to emergency intubation in the emergency department (ED). Research is needed to overcome the specific challenges of airway management in the prehospital setting, and to improve the safety and efficiency of prehospital emergency intubation. Literature reports that the use of assistive devices such as bougie may increase the rate of first-attempt intubation success in the ED. To date, no randomized trial has ever studied this device in the prehospital setting. Thus, the aim of the BETA trial is to compare first attempt intubation success facilitated by the bougie versus the endotracheal tube alone in the prehospital setting.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Bougie versus endotracheal tube alone on first-attempt intubation success in prehospital emergency intubation in patients without predictors of difficult intubation: protocol for the BETA randomized controlled trial.
   Le Bastard Q, Jenvrin J, Gaultier A, Montassier E. · · 2025 · PMID 40890804 · DOI 10.1186/s13063-025-09046-8