Comparison of the modified flexible lightwand versus flexible bronchoscope for nasotracheal intubation: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: As the established gold standard for difficult airway management, flexible bronchoscope-guided endotracheal intubation nonetheless carries certain technical constraints. This study is designed to conduct a comparative analysis of multiple indicators including nasotracheal intubation duration between the modified flexible lightwand (MFL) and the conventional flexible bronchoscope (FB). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This prospective, single-centre, single-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial will be conducted at a tertiary grade A university-affiliated hospital in China. The study plans to enrol 70 oromaxillofacial surgery patients requiring nasotracheal intubation under general anaesthesia. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the MFL group (n=35) or the FB group (n=35). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University (2025(210)). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The research findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at relevant academic conferences or forums. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2500112183.