Direct versus indirect laryngoscopy using a Macintosh video laryngoscope: a mannequin study comparing applied forces

• Published in: Canadian journal of anesthesia 2020-05, Vol.67 (5), p.515-520
• Main Authors: Gordon, Joanna K., Bertram, Vaughan E., Cavallin, Francesco, Parotto, Matteo, Cooper, Richard M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anesthesia; Anesthesiology; Cardiology; Critical Care Medicine; Data collection; Glottis; Health care networks; Humans; Intensive; Intubation; Intubation, Intratracheal; Laryngoscopes; Laryngoscopy; Larynx; Manikins; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pain management; Pain Medicine; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Reports of Original Investigations; Sensors; Studies
• ISSN: 0832-610X; 1496-8975
• DOI: 10.1007/s12630-020-01583-x

Purpose Upper airway injury and sympathetic activation may be related to the forces applied during laryngoscopy. We compared the applied forces during laryngoscopy using direct and indirect visualization of a standardized mannequin glottis. Methods Force transducers were applied to the concave surface of a GlideScope T-MAC Macintosh-style video laryngoscope that can also be used as a conventional direct-view laryngoscope. Thirty-four anesthesiologists performed four laryngoscopies (two direct and two indirect views) on an Ambu mannequin in a randomized sequence. During each laryngoscopy, participants were instructed to obtain views corresponding to > 80% and 50% of the glottic opening aperture. Peak and impulse forces were measured for each view. Results To achieve a 50% glottic opening view, the top 10 th percentile force was higher with direct vs indirect laryngoscopy in terms of peak (difference, 9.1 newton; 99% confidence interval [CI], 7.4 to 13.9) and impulse (difference, 56.4 newton·sec; 99% CI, 49.0 to 81.7) forces. To achieve >80% view of the glottic opening, median force was higher with direct vs indirect laryngoscopy in terms of peak (difference, 3.6 newton; 99% CI, 1.6 to 7.3) and impulse (difference, 20.4 newton·sec; 99% CI, 11.7 to 35.1) forces. Conclusions In this mannequin study, lower forces applied during indirect vs direct laryngoscopy may reflect an advantage of video laryngoscopy, but additional studies using patients are required to confirm the clinical implications of these findings.