PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Y Hirabayashi
AU  - N Seo
TI  - Airtraq optical laryngoscope: tracheal intubation by novice laryngoscopists
AID  - 10.1136/emj.2008.059659
DP  - 2009 Feb 01
TA  - Emergency Medicine Journal
PG  - 112--113
VI  - 26
IP  - 2
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/26/2/112.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/26/2/112.full
SO  - Emerg Med J2009 Feb 01; 26
AB  - Objective: To evaluate the performance of the Airtraq optical laryngoscope for tracheal intubation by novice laryngoscopists, compared with that of the Macintosh laryngoscope.Methods: Under supervision by staff anaesthetists, non-anaesthesia physicians performed tracheal intubation using either the Airtraq optical laryngoscope (n  =  100) or the Macintosh laryngoscope (n  =  100). The time required for airway instrumentation, the number of attempts until successful intubation and erroneous oesophageal intubation were investigated.Results: The time to secure the airway was shorter with the Airtraq optical laryngoscope than with the Macintosh laryngoscope (p<0.001). The number of attempts until successful intubation was smaller with the Airtraq optical laryngoscope than with the Macintosh laryngoscope (p<0.001). Erroneous oesophageal intubation was less with the Airtraq optical laryngoscope than with the Macintosh laryngoscope (p<0.01).Conclusion: The Airtraq optical laryngoscope reduces the time to secure the airway and the incidence of failed tracheal intubation by novice laryngoscopists.