Tracheal intubation by inexperienced medical residents using the Airtraq and Macintosh laryngoscopes—a manikin study

Maharaj, Chrisen H.; Ni Chonghaile, Martina; Higgins, Brendan D.; Harte, Brian H.; Laffey, John G.

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2006.03.014

« Previous Next »American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 24, Issue 7 , Pages 769-774, November 2006

Tracheal intubation by inexperienced medical residents using the Airtraq and Macintosh laryngoscopes—a manikin study☆

Chrisen H. Maharaj, MB, BSc
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Galway, Ireland
- Department of Anaesthesia, Clinical Sciences Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Martina Ni Chonghaile, MB
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Galway, Ireland
- Department of Anaesthesia, Clinical Sciences Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Brendan D. Higgins, PhD
- Department of Anaesthesia, Clinical Sciences Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Brian H. Harte, MB
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Galway, Ireland
John G. Laffey, MD, MA, BSc
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital Galway, Ireland
- Department of Anaesthesia, Clinical Sciences Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- Corresponding author. Department of Anaesthesia, Clinical Sciences Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.

Received 15 February 2006; accepted 14 March 2006.

Abstract

The Airtraq laryngoscope is a novel intubation device that may possess advantages over conventional direct laryngoscopes for use by personnel that are infrequently required to perform tracheal intubation. We conducted a prospective study in 20 medical residents with little prior airway management experience. After brief didactic instruction, each participant took turns performing laryngoscopy and intubation using the Macintosh (Welch Allyn, Welch Allyn, NY) and Airtraq (Prodol Ltd. Vizcaya, Spain) devices, in 3 laryngoscopy scenarios in a Laerdal Intubation Trainer (Laerdal, Stavanger, Norway) and 1 scenario in a Laerdal SimMan manikin (Laerdal, Kent, UK). They then performed tracheal intubation of the normal airway a second time to characterize the learning curve. In all scenarios tested, the Airtraq decreased the duration of intubation attempts, reduced the number of optimization maneuvers required, and reduced the potential for dental trauma. The residents found the Airtraq easier to use in all scenarios compared with the Macintosh laryngoscope. The Airtraq may constitute a superior device for use by personnel infrequently required to perform tracheal intubation.