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THINKING OF BUYING ...
Arup De, MD, MBA, and Dino Kattato, CRNA, MS
Airway Visualization Devices
Tips on buying video laryngoscopes for smoother intubations.
I
f you're in the market for a video laryngoscope, there's no substitute
for test driving these advanced airway management devices in real
cases, on real patients. A little product research goes a long way, too.
Here are 6 purchasing considerations, followed by 12 product summaries on pages 66 to 71.
1
Ease of use
Video laryngoscopes in no way replace the skill and training necessary
to facilitate tracheal intubation, but they've changed the way we
approach a wide variety of challenging patients. While a device's ease
of use depends in large part on a practitioner's level of experience,
some devices offer more straightforward operation than others. The
blade's size and shape can be prohibitive in patients with limited oral
anatomies. Increased manipulation and force could injure oropharyngeal structures, affect the integrity of the endotracheal tube and/or
cuff, and hinder the likelihood of first-pass success in intubation.
Each of the devices available today provide fiber-optic verification of
tracheal intubation, but training is essential.
2
Screen size
Size matters! More pixilation equals a higher image resolution and a
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