Hemodynamic Response to Intubation with the Airway Scope vs. the Macintosh Laryngoscope

To compare hemodynamic response to intubation with the Airway Scope (a video laryngoscope) and with the Macintosh laryngoscope, researchers in Japan randomized 46 normotensive patients and 46 patients with chronic hypertension (on antihypertensive medications) to intubation by a single anesthesiologist with one of the two devices. Patients with predictors of difficult intubation (see the table) and those who were undergoing thoracic or cardiovascular surgery were excluded.

Normotensive was defined as average systolic blood pressure (SBP) <149 mm Hg on three measurements at admission, and hypertensive was defined as average SBP >150 mm Hg. BP and heart rate were measured before initiation of elective general anesthesia (baseline); immediately…