Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Feb 2012
Developing the skill of endotracheal intubation: implication for emergency medicine.
Securing the airway by means of endotracheal intubation (ETI) represents a fundamental skill for anaesthesiologists in emergency situations. This study aimed to evaluate the time needed by first-year anaesthesiology residents to perform 200 ETIs and assessed the associated success rates and number of attempts until successful ETI. ⋯ The increasing rate of relative ETI success and the decreasing rate of necessary attempts for successful airway management suggest a steadily increasing gain in ETI experience. The complications that developed during the first 200 ETI procedures justify supervision by a specialist in the field or a senior physician. Moreover, these results may influence the minimum requirement for qualification in anaesthesiology and emergency medicine.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Feb 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialForces applied to the maxillary incisors by video laryngoscopes and the Macintosh laryngoscope.
Modern video laryngoscopes (VLSs) provide a superior view of the glottis, facilitating easier intubations. This study evaluates the forces applied to the maxillary incisors when using various VLSs and a Macintosh blade. ⋯ All VLSs considered were safer for the patient than was the Macintosh blade in terms of the forces applied to the maxillary teeth, time, number of insertion attempts, and view achieved of the glottic arch. There is a small, but significant, difference in the time and number of insertion attempts required during laryngoscopy with the different VLSs. There was no difference in the forces applied. The geometry of the respective blades may be an important component in the ease of laryngoscopy.