Airtraq DL superior to Macintosh laryngoscope in difficult airway, finds study

To establish a quiet operative field, one-lung ventilation (OLV) is often necessary for thoracic procedures. The double-lumen tube (DLT) is the most popular and widely utilized method for producing OLV, out of all the available choices. The Airtraq DL TM (Prodol Meditec S.A., Vizcaya, Spain) is a channeled VL prototype intended exclusively for DLT insertion. Its built-in channel can take DLTs ranging in size from 28 to 41 French.

A recently published research evaluated the effectiveness of the Airtraq DL TM and Macintosh laryngoscopes for insertion of a DLT in a simulated difficult airway using a Philadelphia neck collar.

52 patients having elective thoracic surgery with lung isolation utilizing a left-sided DLT were the subjects of a prospective randomized controlled research. Patients were randomly assigned to the Airtraq DL TM group (group A) or the Macintosh group (group B) (group M). The major purpose was to compare intubation times, and the secondary objectives were to assess time to best glottic view, Cormack–Lehane (CL) grading, intubation difficulty score (IDS), manoeuvres, attempts at intubation, haemodynamic response, and complications. On a 4-point Likert scale, operating anesthesiologists were also asked to rate the ease of laryngoscopy and intubation for both devices. The mean time to intubation was shorter in group A than in group M (P = 0.003; 18 6.91 s vs. 25.48 9.47 s). Group A had a higher CL score (P 0.001), required fewer moves (P = 0.02), and had a lower IDS (P = 0.003). In addition, group A performed much better on the Likert scale than group M.

During left-sided DLT installation in a simulated difficult airway, the current research indicates that the Airtraq DL TM needs less time to intubate and offers better intubating conditions than the standard Macintosh laryngoscope. Airtraq DL TM provides many visualisation choices for glottic vision, including an ocular view, a video system, a universal smartphone adapter, and an endocam connection. The new universal smartphone adapter for use with Airtraq is inexpensive, efficient, and user-friendly, and is thus gaining popularity.

Reference –

Mounika, K; Kar, Prachi,; Padhy, Shibani; Pathy, Archana; Durga, Padmaja Comparison of Airtraq DL™ and Macintosh laryngoscope for double-lumen tube placement in simulated difficult airway: A randomised study, Indian Journal of Anaesthesia: June 2022 - Volume 66 - Issue 6 - p 442-448

doi: 10.4103/ija.ija_119_22