Although the GlideScope videolaryngoscope reduces the force applied compared to direct Macintosh laryngoscopy, the longer duration of laryngoscopy with the GlideScope results in comparable total net force.

pearl

• Daniel Cordovani, Twain Russell, Wallace Wee, Andrew Suen, and Richard M Cooper.
• From the Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (DC), The Department of Anesthesia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia (TR), The Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, Edmonton, Alberta (WW), The Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (AS), The Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (RMC).
• Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2019 Mar 1; 36 (3): 221-226.

BackgroundIn patients with predictive features associated with easy direct laryngoscopy, videolaryngoscoy with the GlideScope has been shown to require less force when compared with Macintosh direct laryngoscopy.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare forces applied with Glidescope vs. Macintosh laryngoscopes in patients with predictive features associated with difficult direct laryngoscopy.DesignA randomised study.SettingToronto General Hospital, a university tertiary centre in Canada.PatientsForty-four patients aged over 18 years, with one or more features of difficult intubation, undergoing elective surgery requiring single-lumen tracheal intubation.InterventionWe measured the force applied to oropharyngeal tissues by attaching three FlexiForce Sensors (A201-25) to the concave surface of Macintosh and GlideScope laryngoscope blades.Anaesthetists or experienced anaesthesia residents performed laryngoscopies with both devices in a randomised sequence.Main Outcome MeasuresThe primary outcome was peak force. The secondary outcomes were average force and impulse force. The latter is the integral of the force over the time during which the force acted.ResultsComplete data were available for 40 individuals. Peak and average forces decreased with GlideScope (17 vs. 21 N, P = 0.03, and 6 vs. 11 N, P < 0.001, respectively). Laryngoscopy time increased with the GlideScope (30 vs. 18 s, P < 0.001), resulting in similar median impulse forces (206 vs. 175 N, P = 0.92).ConclusionGlideScope laryngoscopy resulted in reduced peak and average forces, but as the laryngoscopy duration increased, the product of force and time (impulse force) was similar with both devices.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01814176.

29 keywords...

hide…