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Disposable laryngoscope blades do not interfere with ease of intubation in scheduled general anaesthesia patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2005

M. Galinski ,
F. Adnet ,
D. Tran ,
Z. Karyo ,
H. Quintard ,
D. Delettre ,
E. Lebail ,
B. Guignard ,
C. Lebrault  and
M. Chauvin
M. Galinski
Affiliation:
Avicenne Hospital, Samu 93 – UPRES UA 34-09, Bobigny cedex, France
F. Adnet
Affiliation:
Avicenne Hospital, Samu 93 – UPRES UA 34-09, Bobigny cedex, France
D. Tran
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Z. Karyo
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
H. Quintard
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
D. Delettre
Affiliation:
French Ministry of Health, Departmental Nosocomial Infections Warning Corresponding, Moulins cedex, France
E. Lebail
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
B. Guignard
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
C. Lebrault
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
M. Chauvin
Affiliation:
Ambroise Paré Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
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Extract

Summary

Background and objective: Intubation of the trachea has been a risky cross-contamination procedure over the past decade because no perfect decontamination procedures exist. Infectious agents found on laryngoscopic devices have the potential for devastating spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis viruses B and C and transmissible non-conventional agents. The purpose of this prospective observational study was to assess the quality of endotracheal intubation with disposable laryngoscope blades, under normal intubating conditions.

Methods: Anaesthetists were asked to complete daily questionnaires regarding the difficulty of intubation experienced using the Vital View® disposable laryngoscope blade (Vital Signs Inc, Totowa, NC, USA). The choice of the type of blade (conventional or disposable blade) for the first attempt at intubation depended only on the operating room assignment. Glottic visualization during laryngoscopy was assessed by the modified Cormack and Lehane classification. Difficult tracheal intubation was evaluated by the intubation difficulty scale (>5, procedure involving moderate to major difficulty).

Results: The anaesthetic staff recorded 219 intubations. One hundred-and-nineteen of first attempts at laryngoscopy were with disposable blades (DB group) and another 100 with conventional blades (CB group). There were no significant differences between the two groups for Cormack and Lehane score 3, for intubation difficulty scale scores >5 and for intubation difficulty scale score 0. There were 12 blade changes before successful intubation.

Conclusions: In routine use, the Vital View® disposable laryngoscope blade appears to be an efficient device because it does not modify the ease of endotracheal intubation in most cases. Nonetheless, it may be advisable to maintain conventional laryngoscopes in reserve for difficult intubations.

Keywords

ANALYTICAL, DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT CATEGORY, equipment and supplies, disposable equipmentINTUBATION, INTRATRACHEAL
Type
Original Article
Information
European Journal of Anaesthesiology , Volume 20 , Issue 9 , September 2003 , pp. 731 - 735
Copyright
© 2003 European Society of Anaesthesiology

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