ISSN: 2155-6148
Medhat Hannallah
MD, FFARCS, Department of Anesthesia, Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington DC, 20007,
Tanzania
Letter to Editor
A Better Stylet Design for Videolaryngoscopes in Patients with Difficult Airway
Author(s): Medhat Hannallah
Medhat Hannallah
Videolaryngoscopes are being used with increasing frequency in patients with known or anticipated difficult airway [1]. While they usually provide excellent glottic visualization, directing an endotracheal tube through the vocal cords can be challenging [2]. Additionally, airway trauma has been reported with the Glidescope rigid stylet [3-5]. A recent report described the use of a fiberoptic bronchoscope as a stylet during endotracheal intubation of a patient with a difficult airway while the glottis was visualized through the Glidescope videolaryngoscope [6]. After reading that report, we have used this technique multiple times with both the Glidescope and the Airtraq laryngoscope and have found that a fiberoptic bronchoscope functions as the ideal maneuverable stylet during videolaryngoscopy. The softness of the tip of the fiberoptic bronchoscope minimizes its potential for causing .. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2155-6148.1000166