Comparative evaluation of Airtraq™ and GlideScope® videolaryngoscopes for difficult pediatric intubation in a Pierre Robin manikin

• Published in: European journal of pediatrics 2019-07, Vol.178 (7), p.1105-1111
• Main Authors: Desai, Neel, Johnson, Mae, Priddis, Kat, Ray, Samiran, Chigaru, Linda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Airway Obstruction - therapy; Bronchoscopy; Case reports; Child; Children; Cleft lip/palate; Cross-Over Studies; Humans; Intubation; Intubation, Intratracheal - instrumentation; Laryngoscopes; Laryngoscopy; Laryngoscopy - instrumentation; Manikins; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Pediatrics; Performance evaluation; Respiratory tract; Time Factors; Video-Assisted Surgery - methods
• ISSN: 0340-6199; 1432-1076
• DOI: 10.1007/s00431-019-03396-7

Airway management in children is associated with anatomical and physiological challenges compared with adults. Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is a condition characterized by micrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate and related to a difficult airway. Both the Airtraq™ and GlideScope® have never been previously directly compared in PRS. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of these two airway devices in a PRS manikin for ethical and practical reasons. Between April and July 2017, 26, pediatric intensive care clinical fellows or trainees from a tertiary pediatric center were recruited to participate. In this prospective and randomized crossover trial, all participants first set up the Airtraq™ and the GlideScope® and then used these videolaryngoscopes to intubate an AirSim® PRS manikin. Our primary outcome measure was the duration of the successful intubation attempt. Duration of the successful intubation attempt was 18.1 (14.2–34.9 [10.2–51.3]) s for the Airtraq™ compared to 31.1 (18.7–55.6 [6.2–119]) s for the GlideScope® ( p  = 0.045). Setup time was 50.0 ± 6.9 s for the Airtraq™ and 27.8 ± 8.6 s for the GlideScope® ( p