Evaluation of the pediatric Bonfils fiberscope for elective endotracheal intubation

Background: Difficult airway management in children is a particular challenge for anesthesiologists and pediatricians. This study was designed to evaluate the performance of the recently developed pediatric versions of the Bonfils fiberscope for elective endotracheal intubation during routine surgical procedures. Methods: After approval by the institutional review board and written informed consent, 55 children (age 6 ± 4 years) scheduled for elective minor surgical procedures were enrolled. Nineteen children received atropine before the intubation attempt, while in the remaining 36 children, no antisialogogue was used. For endotracheal tubes up to 3.5 mm internal diameter, a fiberscope with outer diameter (OD) 2 mm, and for larger endotracheal tubes, a fiberscope OD 3.5 mm was used. Time to intubation and failure rate were obtained. Results: In the 36 children without and the 19 children with atropine pretreatment, the success rate for tracheal intubation on the first attempt was 69%/78% (25/15 patients). 4/3 patients and 2/0 patients were intubated after two and three attempts, respectively, and in 5/1 patients (14%/5%) intubation failed even after three attempts. Time to intubation was median 58/60 s, 25th–75th percentile 35–100/32–110 s, and range 14–377/18–360 s. In both groups, failed intubations were because of the secretions contaminating the optic aperture. Conclusions: High failure rate and increased intubation times suggest that the pediatric Bonfils fiberscope has significant drawbacks when used for intubation of normal pediatric airways.     

First clinical experience of tracheal intubation with the SensaScope, a novel steerable semirigid video stylet

Background. Problems with tracheal intubation are a major causeof anaesthesia-related morbidity and mortality. Difficulty withtracheal intubation is primarily a consequence of failure tosee the vocal cords with conventional direct laryngoscopy. Wereport our experience with use of the SensaScope^® for trachealintubation in routine clinical practice. Methods. The SensaScope^® is a hybrid steerable semirigidS-shaped video stylet. Its handling and performance were assessedby anaesthetists with a minimum of 1 yr of experience. Theyperformed four intubations each with the device in anaesthetizedelective surgical patients. The view of the glottis with theMacintosh laryngoscope was compared with the view shown on themonitor by the SensaScope^®. The time taken to complete intubation,the final tracheal tube (TT) position and the degree of difficultyof the procedure were recorded. Results. Thirty-two patients were studied. All Macintosh Cormackand Lehane grade 3 patients were converted to grade 1 or 2 withthe SensaScope^®. Mean intubation time was 25 (12) s andcorrect mid-tracheal TT cuff position was achieved in all cases.The degree of difficulty was 3.0 (1.8) on a numerical scaleranging from 0 to 10. All operators rapidly became familiarwith the device and mastered its technique of use. Conclusion. The SensaScope^® is a reliable and effectivedevice for tracheal intubation under vision of the normal airway.It has great potential to facilitate management of difficultairway situations in anaesthetized and paralysed patients.     

Alternative techniques for tracheal intubation

Conventional direct laryngoscopy with the curved Macintosh blade is a fundamental skill for all anaesthetists and has been the cornerstone of airway management for many years. This technique relies on the operator aligning the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal structures and inserting an endotracheal tube into the trachea under direct vision. There is a recognized failure rate with this technique and thus alternative techniques for tracheal intubation should be available for use in difficult situations. Awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI) remains the ‘gold standard’ method for securing the airway in an anticipated difficult intubation. Advances in optical technology over recent years have lead to the development of several rigid indirect devices, which improve glottic visualization by enabling the operator to ‘see around the corner’. With improved views at laryngoscopy these videolaryngoscopes are emerging as important tools in airway management and useful teaching and training aids.     

Fibreoptic-guided tracheal intubation through i-gel® and LMA® ProtectorTM supraglottic airway devices - a randomised comparison

Fibreoptic-guided tracheal intubation using a supraglottic airway device as a conduit is a technique that can be used in anticipated and unanticipated difficult airway management. Although the i-gel^® supraglottic airway device has been examined for this purpose, the LMA^® Protector^TM, a recently introduced second-generation supraglottic airway device, has not been evaluated for this use in clinical trials. This prospective, randomised clinical trial compared fibreoptic-guided tracheal intubation via i-gel and LMA Protector supraglottic airway devices in two UK hospitals. Patients who were ASA physical status 1 or 2 and undergoing elective surgery requiring tracheal intubation were recruited to the study. A block randomisation list was generated for each study site. The primary outcome measure was time to successful tracheal intubation and secondary outcomes were tracheal intubation success rate, glottic view through flexible fibrescope, ease of tracheal intubation using operator visual analogue score, supraglottic airway device insertion time and insertion success rate. Ninety patients were randomly allocated to each device, and final data analysis was carried out for 92 patients in the i-gel group and 86 patients in the LMA Protector group. Mean (SD) tracheal intubation time in the i-gel and LMA Protector groups were 54.3 (13.8) s and 52.0 (13.0) s, respectively (p = 0.240). There were no significant differences in tracheal intubation success rate, glottic view and ease of tracheal intubation between the two groups. This study demonstrates that the LMA Protector supraglottic airway device is comparable to the i-gel supraglottic airway device as a conduit for fibreoptic-guided tracheal intubation.     

Alternative techniques for tracheal intubation

Conventional direct laryngoscopy with the curved Macintosh blade is a fundamental skill for all anaesthetists and has been the cornerstone of airway management for many years. This technique relies on the operator aligning the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal structures and inserting an endotracheal tube into the trachea under direct vision. There is a recognized failure rate with this technique and thus alternative techniques for tracheal intubation should be available for use in difficult situations. Awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI) remains the ‘gold standard’ method for securing the airway in an anticipated difficult intubation. Advances in optical technology over recent years have lead to the development of several rigid indirect devices, which improve glottic visualization by enabling the operator to ‘see around the corner’. With improved views at laryngoscopy these videolaryngoscopes are emerging as important tools in airway management and useful teaching and training aids.     

Alternative techniques for tracheal intubation

Conventional direct laryngoscopy with the curved Macintosh blade is a fundamental skill for all anaesthetists and has been the cornerstone of airway management for many years. This technique relies upon the operator aligning the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal structures and inserting a tracheal tube into the trachea under direct vision. However, there is a recognized failure rate with this technique, thus alternative techniques for tracheal intubation are available and should be considered. Awake fibreoptic intubation remains the ‘gold standard’ method for securing the airway in an anticipated difficult airway. Advances in optical technology over recent years have led to the development of several rigid indirect devices, which improve glottic visualization by enabling the operator to ‘see around the corner’. With improved views at laryngoscopy these devices have emerged as important tools in airway management and are useful teaching and training aids.     

Detection of oesophageal intubations using cuff pressures in a pig trachea oesophagus model

BACKGROUND: The cuff pressures may be different in oesophageal and tracheal intubations. We conducted a study to evaluate if cuff pressures of endotracheal tubes (ETTs) could provide information to distinguish tracheal or oesophageal intubations in a pig trachea-oesophagus model. METHODS: In each preparation of pig trachea-oesophagus model, the trachea and the oesophagus were intubated separately with a cuffed ETT, and the cuff pressures were measured after each 1 ml increment of air (1-10 ml) during inflation. The cuff pressures and the pressure-volume relationships in both intubations were compared. RESULTS: The cuff pressures of oesophageal intubations were significantly higher than those of tracheal intubations in all comparisons from 1 to 10 ml of cuff volumes (P < 0.05). The cuff pressure-volume curve was steeper in the oesophageal intubation group, and the difference between the two curves was the largest when the cuff volume was 4-5 ml. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the cuff pressures may be useful in detecting oesophageal intubations. This method is faster than other confirmation measures as it can detect inadvertent oesophageal intubations at the time of inflating the cuffs.     

视频喉镜在气道管理中应用的进展

视频喉镜是能够提供上呼吸道间接视野的新型气管插管设备。在困难气道管理处理方面．与直接喉镜相比．视频喉镜能够改善声门显露的Cormack—Lehane分级,并能在较短时间内达到相同或更高的气管插管成功率。尽管视频喉镜可获得非常好的声门显露．但是应用视频喉镜时插入和推进气管导管有时可发生失败。到目前为止,尚无确切证据表明在正常或困难气道患者视频喉镜应取代直接喉镜。     

Intubating laryngeal mask airway for difficult out-of-hospital airway management: a prospective evaluation

Background: Out-of-hospital airway management is a critical skill, demandingexpert knowledge and experience. The intubating laryngeal maskairway (ILMA) is a ventilatory and intubating device which maybe of value in this arena. We evaluated the ILMA for out-of-hospitalmanagement of the difficult airway. Methods: Twenty-one anaesthesia-trained emergency physicians (EPs) completeda training programme and used the ILMA in patients with difficult-to-manageairways. Indications for use of the ILMA included patients withdifficult laryngoscopy, multiple intubation attempts, limitedaccess to the patient’s head, presence of pharyngo-laryngealtrauma, and gastric fluids or bleeding obscuring the view ofthe vocal cords. Results: During the study period, 146 of 2513 patients underwent trachealintubation or alternate rescue airway insertion. In 135 patients,laryngoscopy was performed and Cormack–Lehane view wasrecorded as grade I in 72 (53.3%), II in 45 (33.3%), III in10 (7.4%), and IV in 8 (5.9%). EPs encountered 11 patients (7.5%)with difficult-to-manage airways. ILMA insertion and ventilationwas possible in 10 patients in the first and one patient inthe second attempt. ILMA-guided tracheal intubation was successfulin all patients, in 10 after the first and in 1 after two attempts. Conclusions: In this study, ventilation and intubation with ILMA was successfulin all patients with difficult-to-manage airways. Our data supportthe use of the ILMA as rescue device for out-of-hospital airwaymanagement by staff who have appropriate airway skills and havereceived appropriate training.