Does the Shikani Optical Stylet Reduce C-Spine Movement During Intubation?

Direct laryngoscopy (DL) requires alignment of the tracheal and oropharyngeal axes to visualize the glottis. Some motion of the cervical spine (C-spine) occurs with DL, and this might be hazardous in patients with C-spine injury. The Shikani Optical Stylet (SOS) is a semi-malleable, fiber-optic endoscope onto which the endotracheal tube is directly mounted, allowing intubation without visual alignment of the tracheal and oropharyngeal axes. Researchers compared C-spine motion during laryngoscopy with the SOS and with routine DL using a Macintosh blade in 24 healthy volunteers.

Each patient underwent laryngoscopy with both methods, in random order, but was intubated only once by a single experienced operator. Fluoroscopy was used to observe r…