Tracheal intubation in patients with odentogenous abscesses and reduced mouth opening

Posted byketaminhPosted inairway, Emergency anaesthesia, Emergency medicine and critical care, FOAMEd, Online critical airway trainingTags:, , ,

failed VL

Ok here is the article

Tracheal intubation in patients with odentogenous abscesses and reduced mouth opening

Maybe another nail in the coffin for DL?
NO!
But this is a well conducted RCT of difficult airway management in a common patient group of dental infections needing surgery.
Clearly when mouth opening is restricted then DL does not perform as well as indirect laryngoscopy techniques. So devices like the Glidescope are useful alternative intubation devices in these cases.

Does that mean VL should become standard of care for emergency airway management?
NO!
But this RCT is another step closer to demonstrate that for patient safety, choosing a better device for a given clinical situation, has some decent evidence to support it.

Can you generalise this to all providers/intubators? Maybe. Inexperienced providers may do not as well with Glidescope or DL in these cases. My point is : you cant replace experience with a device that may give a great view. It is not a direct relationship here!