Intubation using the Video Laryngoscope

Abstract

Problem statement: Inadequate airway management is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in the prehospital and out-of-operating room hospital settings. Difficulties that occur during airway management are usually related to the intubator not being able to achieve an adequate view of the glottic opening to allow insertion of an endotracheal tube. Approach: Obtaining an adequate glottic view is technically challenging for the experiened practioner but it is exponentially more difficult for the novice intubator. Needless to say, it is a challenge to teach the actual process of intubation using traditional direct laryngoscopy. Results: Subsequently, numerous intubation devices like the video laryngoscope have been developed that incorporate an optical fiber image transmitter integrated with a modified laryngoscope blade to facilitate visualization of the glottic opening. Conclusion: With the addition of these devices, which have a short, more beneficial learning curve, the video laryngoscope has emerged as a leading method of obtaining an improved view of the glottis opening during intubation.