A Meta-Analysis on the Effectiveness of Video Laryngoscopy versus Laryngoscopy for Emergency Orotracheal Intubation

Background. Video laryngoscopy has been associated with some orotracheal intubations and enhances the glottic view at time of laryngoscopy and the success rate of the intubation in patients from the emergency department and the intensive care unit. In usual cases, direct laryngoscopy is performed among the patients from the emergency department or the intensive care unit. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we draw the comparison between the video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy for the emergency orotracheal intubation. Objective. The objective of the study was to identify the clinical efficacy of video laryngoscopy versus laryngoscopy for emergency orotracheal intubation. Materials and Methods. MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were analyzed from 2003 to 2020. Keywords used for searching the studies were “laryngoscopy,” “video laryngoscopy,” “direct laryngoscopy,” “emergency department,” “intensive care unit,” “orotracheal,” “video laryngoscope,” “glidescope,” “airway scope,” “airway,” “Macintosh laryngoscopy,” “airway management,” “tracheal intubation,” “orotracheal intubation,” and “intubation.” Results. The first-pass intubation success rates in the intensive care unit were low in video laryngoscopy with 95% CI 1.21 (1.13–1.30) and heterogeneity I2 = 78% favoring direct laryngoscopy nonsignificantly with low heterogeneity. Odds ratio for airway trauma or dental damage was 0.67, 95% CI (0.18–2.54), reported higher in video laryngoscopy. Complications with oesophageal laryngoscopy were higher in video laryngoscopy with risk ratio 0.16, 95% CI (0.09–0.29), odds ratio 0.88, 95% CI (0.65–1.18) for sever hypoxemia, risk ratio 1.53, 95% CI (1.02–2.28) for cardiovascular collapse, risk ratio with 95% CI 1.11 (0.59–2.07) for aspiration complications, and odds ratio 1.32, 95% CI (0.95, 1.85) for Inexperienced medical staff handling laryngoscopy. Conclusion. No significant efficiency was noticed in using video laryngoscopy when compared with direct laryngoscopy with the available data. The data reported in studies are not enough for efficient clinical analysis of the benefits of using video laryngoscopy over direct laryngoscopy. Thus, information such as length of stay, mortality, sever complications, and length of hospital stay must be reported.

Adult False Vocal Cord Cavernous Lymphangioma Presenting with Hemoptysis: A Case Report

Lymphangiomas are rare benign tumors of the lymphatic system, most often found at birth and before the age of 2 years. The head and neck region are the most frequent locations for lymphangioma. Involvement of the adult larynx in isolation is rare, and only a few cases have been reported so far. We report the case of a patient with a left false vocal cord reddish tumor presenting with hemoptysis and voice cracking. The surgical excision of mass was performed by direct laryngoscopy-assisted CO2 laser. The histopathological report revealed the diagnosis as cavernous lymphangioma. After a follow-up of 1 year, the patient is free of recurrence with all laryngeal functions being normal.

Direct Laryngoscopy or Video Laryngoscopy: Which Is Better for Performing Endotracheal Intubation?

Background: Endotracheal intubation is known as the best and challenging procedure to airway control for patients in shock or with unprotected airways. Failed intubation can have serious consequences and lead to high morbidity and mortality of the patients. Videolaryngoscope is a new device that contains a miniaturized camera at the blade tip to visualize the glottis indirectly. Fewer failed intubations have occurred when a videolaryngoscope was used. Other types of videolaryngoscopes were then developed; all have been shown to improve the view of the vocal cords. It may be inferred that for the professional group, including emergency physicians, paramedics, or emergency nurses, video laryngoscopy may be a good alternative to direct laryngoscopy for intubation under difficult conditions. The incidence of complications was not significantly different between the C-MAC 20% versus direct laryngoscopy 13%. The main goal of this review was to compare the direct laryngoscopy with the (indirect) video laryngoscopy in terms of increased first success rate and good vision of the larynx to find a smooth induction of endotracheal intubation. Methods: Currently available evidence on MEDLINE, PubMed, Google scholar and Cochrane Evidence Based Medicine Reviews, in addition to the citation reviews by manual search of new anesthesia and surgical journals related to laryngoscopies and tracheal intubation. Results: This review of recent studies showed that the laryngoscopic device design would result in smooth approach of endotracheal intubation by means of good visualization of glottis and the best success rates in the hands of both the experienced and novice. Video laryngoscopes may improve safety by avoiding many unnecessary attempts when performing tracheal intubation with DL compared to VL as well as easy learning of both direct and indirect laryngoscopy. Conclusion: The comparative studies of different video laryngoscopes showed that DL compared with VL, reveal that video laryngoscopes reduced failed intubation in anticipated difficult airways, improve a good laryngeal view and found that there were fewer failed intubations using a videolaryngoscope when the intubator had equivalent experience with both devices, but not with DL alone. And therefore, knowledge about ETI and their skills, are crucial in increasing the rate of survival.

Comparison between Sniffing Position and 25 Degree Backup Position in View of Glottis During Direct Laryngoscopy and Intubation - A Study from Mangalore, Karnataka

BACKGROUND Endotracheal intubation for the purpose of providing anaesthesia was first described by William Mc Ewan. Jackson1 stressed the importance of anterior flexion of the lower cervical spine, in addition to obvious extension of the atlanto-occipital joint. Sniffing position has been commonly advocated as a standard head positioning for direct laryngoscopy which is achieved by flexion of the neck on chest and extension of the head at the atlanto-occipital joint. Present study was designed to evaluate the glottis view and ease of intubation achieved with direct laryngoscopy in the sniffing position with that of 25 degree backup position in a study group of 100 patients divided in 2 groups of 50 each. METHODS This study is a controlled comparative study. Controlled trial in 50 consecutive patients in each group [Group I and Group II] was conducted on patients who underwent elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Inclusion Criteria - General anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation, Aged 18 to 60 years, American society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grades I and II. Exclusion Criteria - Patients with body mass index more than 30 kg/m2. 1. Bucked teeth. 2. Restricted neck movement. 3. Inter-incisor gap less than 35 mm. 4. Thyro-mental distance less than 6 mm. 5. Patients with risk of regurgitation and aspiration. 6. Pharyngeal pathology. 7. Limitation of anterior and posterior movement of mandible 8. Pregnant patients Groups wereGroup I – Sniffing position Group II– 25 degree back up position RESULTS The glottis visualization was assessed by Cormack Lehane grading which revealed that glottis view was better in 25 degree backup position than sniffing position. CONCLUSIONS In our prospective randomized study in a series of 50 patients undergoing general anaesthesia in SIMS & RC, intubation difficulty scale (IDS) score was better in 25 degree backup position than sniffing position. It implies glottis view is better in 25 degree backup position than sniffing position. KEYWORDS Sniffing Position, 25 Degree Backup Position, Laryngoscopy

Effectiveness and safety of cuff inflation technique over conventional method of Magill forceps for Nasotracheal intubation under direct laryngoscopy: Randomized controlled trial

The aim of the study is to compare the effectiveness and safety of cuff inflation technique over conventional method of Magill forceps for Nasotracheal intubation NTI under direct laryngoscopy.After taking permission from institutional ethical committee, patients of 18-60 years of either sex of ASA grade I and ll were divided into groups of 40 each. In group C, cuff inflation technique and in group M, Magill forceps technique was used for navigating the endotracheal tube from oropharynx to glottic opening to achieve intubation. Parameters observed were time required for intubation, attempts of intubation, injury occurring to oropharyngeal structures during intubation and hemodynamic parameters. Cuff of endotracheal tube was assessed postoperatively for any leaksAnalysis of the data for the various parameters was done using paired t-test for intra-group comparison and student t-test for intergroup comparison and chi-square test was used for qualitative (non parametric) data.There was no significant difference in demographic parameters, time required for intubation, number of attempts for intubation and hemodynamic parameters, but trauma to oropharyngeal structures was more in group M (8/40) compared to group C (0/40). (p≤0.05) Trauma to cuff of endotracheal tube was seen in group M (1/40) while none in group C (0/40) which was statistically not significant (p≤0.05).Thus, Cuff inflation technique can be used as an effective alternative to Magill forceps for oropharyngeal navigation of endotracheal tube under direct laryngoscopy guided nasotracheal intubation in patients with normal airways.

Is there an optimal place to hold the endotracheal tube during direct laryngoscopy for patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia? Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Endotracheal intubation by direct laryngoscopy is a widely performed lifesaving technique. Although there are guidelines for optimal size and depth of insertion of an endotracheal tube (ETT) for successful intubation, there is no consensus on the point at which it should be held along its length. This will arguably affect the time, ease, and success of the technique due to a difference in visualization and torque applied to the ETT after glottic visualization. We aim to compare the effect of 2 different sites of holding the ETT on time to intubation (TTI), intubation difficulty scale (IDS), and complications. Methods ASA 1–2 patients (>18 years) posted for surgery under general anesthesia, undergoing supervised intubation by anesthesia trainees (experience < 18 months), will be included. Patients with an anticipated difficult airway or unanticipated difficulty—CL grade 3 or 4 requiring the use of airway adjuncts—will be excluded. Patients will be randomized by a computer-generated number list, and allocation concealed with opaque sealed envelopes. The two sites for holding the ETT will be group 1 at 19 cm and group 2 at 24 cm. ETT marked at the selected site will be handed by the technician once the optimum position of the table, patient, and laryngoscopic view is confirmed by the intubator. The entire procedure will be video recorded. Two blinded assessors will independently review the videos to document the time to intubation and intubation difficulty score. A postoperative sore throat will be recorded. Sample size To detect a 20% difference in time to intubation between groups with a significance level of 5% and power of 85%, we will need a total of 298 patients. Accounting for data loss, we plan to recruit 180 patients in each group. Discussion This will be the first study to assess whether the site of holding the tube has any impact on the ease and time taken for intubation. The findings of this study will provide scientific evidence for suggesting an appropriate place for holding the ETT during direct laryngoscopy procedures. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry India CTRI/2019/09/021201