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The Airtraq optical laryngoscope is a single-use device with a channel for advancing an endotracheal tube. This device, like other non–line-of-sight laryngoscopes, often provides an excellent view of the cords, but first-pass intubation is not ensured. These authors analyzed the effect of glottic positioning within the Airtraq laryngoscopic view on the success of tracheal intubation.
Investigators reviewed video images recorded during 109 intubation attempts in 50 obese patients undergoing elective anesthesia to identify the positions of the glottic opening and interarytenoid cleft within the laryngoscopic view immediately before successful (50) and failed (59) intubation attempts. In nearly all failed intubation attempts, the glottic openin…