Results 

 

 

Participating Operators. 0 staff anesthetists and 0 anesthesia residents volunteered and participated in this study. They performed laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation attempts with the GlideScope Cobalt Video Laryngoscope (GCVL) on from 0 to 0 (median: 0) patients. The operators were experienced users of the Macintosh laryngoscope and the various systems and models of the GlideScope Video Laryngoscope. 

 

Patient Demographics. During December 2007, 00 patients requiring orotracheal intubation for elective thyroid surgery were enrolled into this study; none of these patients was excluded from the study because of difficult face-mask ventilation experienced during induction of general anesthesia. The demographic data of the patients according to conventional laryngoscopic view grading (CLV) are summarized in Table 1. There were no statistically significant differences in age, height, weight, male/female ratio, body mass index, and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification between the groups of CLV. The majority of the study patients were female (usual in patients undergoing thyroid surgery).

 

Laryngeal Views. In all patients, GCVL-assisted tracheal intubation was successful at the first attempt. The laryngeal views obtained with the GCVL compared with CLV are shown in Table 2. The GCVL laryngeal views were always comparable or superior to those provided by conventional laryngoscopy. In summary, GCVL laryngeal views of grade 1, 2, and 3 were found in 0, 0, and 0 patients, respectively. The laryngeal views with the convential laryngoscope were equally distributed between the operators.

 

Minor Problems and Difficulties. Impeded tracheal tube (TT) advancement during oropharyngeal, laryngeal, and tracheal passage was encountered in 0, 0, and 0 percent (see Table 3). There were no problems with impeded insertion of the blade (due to limited mouth opening and/or restricted pharyngeal space) and poor visibility (due to the presence of secretions and/or fogging of the camera system).

 

Severe Complaints and Injuries Associated with Airway Management. Severe complaints and injuries (to oropharyngeal, laryngeal, and/or tracheal structures) associated with airway management were not observed at the postanesthesia care unit and during the postanesthesia visit on the first postoperative day at the normal ward.   

 

 

Discussion