Airtraq DL and AWS-200 for Double-lumen Endotracheal Tube Intubation: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE

This prospective randomized study aimed to assess the usefulness of two videolaryngoscopes with a side channel, the Airtraq DL and the AWS-200, for intubation with a double-lumen tube (DLT).

METHODS

In 60 patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 1-3 who were not expected to have difficult airway, the Airtraq DL and the AWS-200 were randomly used for DLT intubation. The primary outcome was intubation time. The secondary outcomes included exposure time, the glottis view with the Macintosh and study videolaryngoscopes, the number of attempts before successful intubation, the intubation difficulty scale (IDS) score, and the subjectively rated ease of blade insertion and DLT advancement.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in patient characteristics. In all patients, DLT intubation was successful at the first attempt. Intubation time was significantly shorter in the Airtraq DL group (17.2±0.9 seconds, range = 9.6-29.4 seconds) than in the AWS-200 group (21.6±1.1 seconds, range = 13.1-33.9 seconds) (P = 0.005). No significant differences were observed in any other outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In patients who were not expected to have difficult airway, DLT intubation with the Airtraq DL required significantly less time than with the AWS-200.