Implications for Clinical Practice

 

 

Notice: Implications for Clinical Practice are the personal views of the authors.

 

 

Within a short period of time, we became familiar and confident with the use of the Airtraq Optical Laryngoscope (AOL) for orotracheal intubation, particularly in difficult conventional laryngoscopy (CL) situations. Despite well equipped with difficult airway carts or equivalent units, the anesthesia workstations, the positions at the postanesthesia and intensive care unit, the emergency admission area, and the normal wards are now additionally supplied with AOLs.

 

Hygienic reprocessing of reusable airway management (AM) devices may be problematic, particularly after use in patients with transferable infectious diseases. We now routinely use the disposable AOL for laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation in all patients with transferable infectious diseases; this procedure may further eliminate possible cross-contamination associated with reusable AM devices.

 

The AOL may be also suitable for physicians with far fewer experiences and opportunities in CL and tracheal intubation. Within the next months, we will expand our teaching and training activities to non-anesthesia residents of our institution in the use of the AOL first on a suitable airway model and then on patients requiring tracheal intubation for elective surgical procedures.  

 

 

Economic Considerations