Comparison of the Pentax Airway Scope[R] and Mcgrath[R] Videolaryngoscope with the Macintosh Laryngoscope in Tracheal Intubation by Anaesthetists Unfamiliar with Videolaryngoscopes: A Manikin Study (Report‪)‬

Videolaryngoscope devices are becoming widely available. Several recent articles have suggested that videoscopes may be preferred to conventional Macintosh blades in cases of cervical instability or fixation and previous difficult laryngoscopy (1-5). There has even been a suggestion that a videoscope be included in the difficult airway algorithm (6). There are many videoscopes currently on the market. Two portable devices are the Pentax Airway Scope[R] (Pentax, Tokyo, Japan) and the McGrath[R] Videolaryngoscope (Aircraft Medical, Edinburgh, UK). Both are battery operated with colour liquid crystal display (LCD) screens mounted on the handle and both have single use, disposable blades. If videoscopes are made available for the management of unexpected difficult intubations, anaesthetists unfamiliar with these devices may attempt to use such devices. There are limited existing data on the use of videoscopes by experienced intubators who are also inexperienced in the use of videoscopes. We have conducted a study to compare the Pentax Airway Scope[R] (AWS) and McGrath[R] Videolaryngoscope (MVL) with a regular Macintosh laryngoscope (Mac) in a manikin (Laerdel[R] Airway Management Trainer, Laerdal, Stavanger, Norway) simulation of urgent tracheal intubation. The aim was to see whether anaesthetists unfamiliar with these devices would be able to intuitively use them. This would determine whether training was required before placing a videoscope on the difficult intubation trolleys in our hospital.