(A225) Investigating Ergonomics for Pregnant Clinicians During Flexible Laryngoscopy

Monday, October 13, 2025

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT

Location: OTO EXPO, Posters

Presenting Author(s)

Alyssa M. Civantos, MD, MS

Resident Physician
University of California - San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Co-Author(s)

Nina R. Patel, MPhil, MS

Medical Student
University of California, San Francisco
Phoenix, AZ, United States
AD

Alexandra D'Oto, MD

University of California San Francisco, United States
CM

Camryn Marshall, BS

University of California San Francisco, United States
VyVy N. Young, MD

Professor
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Clark A. Rosen, MD

Professor
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Senior Author(s)

AP

Andrea M. Park, MD

Associate Professor
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Alyssa M. Civantos, MD, MS: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Nina R. Patel, MPhil, MS: No relevant relationships to disclose.

VyVy N. Young, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Andrea M. Park, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.

Introduction: Pregnancy introduces significant physiological and biomechanical changes that can affect healthcare professionals performing procedural tasks, such as flexible laryngoscopy (FL). These changes may lead to discomfort, fatigue, and increased risk of injury. This pilot study aims to assess the ergonomics of flexible laryngoscopy during pregnancy.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, otolaryngologists with proficiency in FL performed the same task, once normally and once while wearing a third trimester pregnancy simulation suit (Empathy Belly). Participants stood to the front/right of the patient model, with the monitor to the patient’s right, and held the laryngoscope with the hand that they typically use. Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) was manually calculated.

Results: Ten right-handed participants were included in the pilot study (mean age=31.5 years, 60% male). The average RULA score was 3.8 (range 3-6) with the pregnancy simulation and 3.7 (range 3-6) without the pregnancy simulation (p=0.40). 100% of participants indicated that the pregnancy simulation altered their comfort with the task, reporting an average rating of 5.9 (range 4-9) on a scale of 0-10 (0=none to 10=severe).

Conclusions: This study investigates the unique ergonomic challenges faced by pregnant clinicians performing flexible laryngoscopy. Though only a small difference was seen in the objective measure of their ergonomics, participants subjectively noted significant changes to their comfort and positioning. Addressing the ergonomic challenges of pregnancy is essential to minimizing risks and enhancing procedural efficiency of clinicians performing flexible laryngoscopy.