# Articulating Video Stylet for Improved Intubation Success Rates

> **NIH NIH R44** · BRIO DEVICE, LLC · 2020 · $645,512

## Abstract

Project Summary
 More than 20 million intubations are performed in the US every year and may carry a high rate of
procedure-related and disease-related complications. The higher incidence of difficult intubation in children is
due to a more anterior larynx and presence of congenital syndromes resulting in 20% suffering complications
during and related to airway management. Difficult intubations in pediatric patients are most common in the
smallest children and in those who have multiple attempts at direct laryngoscopy. Brio Device, LLC, an airway
management medical device company, has spent hundreds of hours of primary and secondary research to
determine the gap in current technology limiting intubation success rates. From this research, Brio has
addressed user needs in developing an articulating video stylet (AVS) for the Phase I grant. The ability of the
AVS to reduce learning curve and enable novice users to successfully intubate quickly and on the first attempt
has driven the company to pursue a neonate size AVS (nAVS) which addresses a market high in need but with
a dearth of visual intubation tools.
 There are three critical components of the nAVS, specifically the position of the camera on the stylet which
provides a view of the functional tip in relation to the anatomy, the semi-rigid stylet and articulation capability
which provide one-to-one translation of ex-vivo movements in the airway space, thus making it easy to maser,
and finally the sub-3mm diameter which makes it usable for neonatal and larger pediatric patients.
 The goal for Phase II is to create a sub-3mm stylet with the same visualization as the adult AVS and same
mechanical properties which have been proven to enable successful first-pass intubation with Brio's INT
Navigator™ articulating stylet and the AVS. To achieve this goal, iterations of the mechanical aspects of the
stylet will be designed and bench-tested until achieving similar rigidity and articulation as the adult AVS. Optics
will also be designed to suit this very small stylet yet still able to maintain the unique position responsible for
reducing the learning curve. Finally, the efficacy will be validated through a comparison study with the
Glidescope AVL preterm/small child intubating device.
 In 2016, the orotracheal intubation market in the US was ~$435 million and is estimated to reach $619.8
million by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period. Of the 3,304,364 newborns born in 2012 in the
US, 7.2% (or 237,914 babies) were admitted to the NICU in that year and 25% required intubation for
respiratory support (~60,000 neonate intubations). With limited competition serving this pediatric market, Brio
forecasts selling 2,000 disposable nAVS units at a price-point of $300/unit for a total of $600,000 in revenue in
the first year of sales. When combined with Brio's INT NavigatorTM and related intubation products, gross
profits of $30+ million are forecasted after five years in the market.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10009450
- **Project number:** 5R44HL124724-03
- **Recipient organization:** BRIO DEVICE, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura L. McCormick
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $645,512
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10009450

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10009450, Articulating Video Stylet for Improved Intubation Success Rates (5R44HL124724-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10009450. Licensed CC0.

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