A novel video laryngoscope for the use in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients: a case report.

Abstract

Critically ill COVID-19 patients require endotracheal intubations due to hypoxemic respiratory failure. These patients tend to desaturate fast especially during the intubation. Video laryngoscopes are recommended for airway management in COVID-19 patients due to better glottic view, higher first attempt success rates, less risk of contamination from airway secretions due to increased distance of patient’s and intubator’s face. Commercially available video laryngoscopes are expensive, difficult to acquire especially during pandemic and require training to use them. In order to overcome these issues, the authors designed a video laryngoscope by modifying the commonly used Macintosh laryngoscope blade which makes it easy to use, is low cost (approximately 90% cheaper than average cost of commercially available video laryngoscopes) and does not require any additional training. Moreover an oxygen channel was integrated along with the camera for deep laryngeal oxygen insufflation which has the additional advantage of delaying the desaturation during laryngoscopy. With these added advantages this modified video laryngoscope would prove to be a valuable tool for airway management team during current COVID-19 crisis.

Keywords

• : covid-19
• intubation
• remote monitoring
• deep laryngeal oxygen insufflation
• tele-medicine-telebation