Korean Journal of Anesthesiology (Jul 2011)

A comparison of the Glidescope® to the McGrath® videolaryngoscope in patients

  • Woo Jae Jeon,
  • Kyoung Hun Kim,
  • Jong Hoon Yeom,
  • Mi Rang Bang,
  • Jin-Bum Hong,
  • Sang Yun Cho

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2011.61.1.19
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 61, no. 1
pp. 19 – 23

Abstract

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BackgroundThe Glidescope® videolaryngoscope is a new device for tracheal intubation that provides an improved view of the larynx. This study was performed to compare the Glidescope with the McGrath videolaryngoscope in terms of time to intubation (TTI) and number of attempts.MethodsPatients were randomly allocated to one of two groups, Glidescope or McGrath group, by using computer-generated numbers. Tracheal intubation was attempted by an anesthesiologist with extensive experience using these two devices. The operator recorded ease of visualization of glottic structures based on the classification described by Cormack and Lehane. Number of failures, number of attempts and their duration, total intubation time, and events during the whole procedure were recorded. The duration of one attempt was defined as the time elapsed between picking up the endotracheal tube and verification of tracheal intubation with visualization of three expiratory carbon dioxide waveforms. TTI was defined as the sum of the duration of all intubation attempts (as many as three), excluding preoxygenation procedures.ResultsTTI was significantly shorter for the Glidescope® compared to the McGrath® laryngoscope (40.5 vs. 53.3 s, respectively, P < 0.05). However, glottic views obtained at intubation were similar between the two groups. Number of intubation attempts was not significantly different between the two groups (1.03 ± 0.19 vs 1.10 ± 0.32, respectively) (mean ± SD).ConclusionsStudy results demonstrated that the Glidescope reduced total intubation time in comparison with the McGrath, in terms of TTI in patients with normal airways.

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