Intubation with the Airtraq vs. Macintosh Laryngoscope by Novices

The Airtraq is an optical laryngoscope that uses lenses, mirrors, and a light-emitting diode to visualize the trachea indirectly. In a clinical trial in Italy, 108 elective surgery patients were randomized to undergo intubation with a Macintosh direct laryngoscope or an Airtraq laryngoscope by first-year anesthesia residents who had no prior experience using either device. Before randomization, each resident received a 2-hour demonstration of both laryngoscopes and practiced on a manikin; each resident used one device throughout the study.

Mean time to intubation was significantly less with the Airtraq than the Macintosh laryngoscope (40 vs. 50 seconds). The Intubation Difficulty Scale score (see the table) was ≤1 (a score of 0 = ideal intub…