That is the question, and the BOUGIE trial (Driver 2021) offers more evidence on this long debated topic.
This was a large, multicentre, unblinded RCT comparing first pass success when intubating in ED and ICU with a bougie vs a stylet.
There was no significant difference in outcome between the techniques.
There have been multiple studies and questions on this topic, some prefering the bougie, others the stylet.
Ultimately it probably doesn’t matter which you choose as your primary technique, as long as you master it, and while you’re at it, master the other technique as well.
So, at the end of the day – pick one or the other, but practice both.
Here are some more discussions and deeper reviews of this trial and topic:
Shepparton Emergency Department Education 