Does Video Laryngoscopy Improve Glottic View During Emergency Department Intubation?

Although video laryngoscopy has been shown to be superior to direct laryngoscopy in the anesthesia setting, it has not been studied in the emergency department (ED) setting. In a prospective observational study at two academic EDs, researchers compared laryngoscopic views with direct laryngoscopy and video laryngoscopy using a Karl Storz video Macintosh laryngoscope, which can simultaneously function as a direct and a video laryngoscope. Glottic views in a convenience sample of 198 patients undergoing endotracheal intubation were characterized as good (Cormack-Lehane grade I or II) or poor (Cormack-Lehane grade III or IV) first by looking at the glottis directly and then by looking at the video screen. The study was supported by the manufac…