A Prospective Crossover Study Evaluating the Efficacy of King Vision Video Laryngoscope in Patients Requiring General Anesthesia with Endotracheal Intubation.

BACKGROUND

Direct laryngoscopy used for tracheal intubation requires aligning the pharyngeal, laryngeal and oral axes to achieve a line of sight. Video laryngoscopy provides a better view of the glottis without the need for aligning the three axes.

AIMS

To evaluate the effectiveness of King vision laryngoscope over Macintosh laryngoscope in visualizing the glottis and intubating the trachea, when used on a same patient as in a cross over manner.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

Department of Anaesthesia, Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences, prospective crossover study conducted over a period of six months.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Sixty adult patients belonging to ASA physical status class I-II, requiring tracheal intubation were randomly assigned to intubation by King vision or Macintosh laryngoscope. Improvement, if any, in the Cormack-Lehane grading using the King vision scope, following initial grading with the Macintosh blade in the same patient was analyzed.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Mean and Standard deviation were calculated for different parameters under the study. Where appropriate, results were analyzed using the Mc Nemar χ2 test. A 'p' value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

In the King Vision group, Cormack and Lehane grade improved in the majority (9/12) of patients in whom the initial Cormack and Lehane grade was >1 using the Macintosh blade.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the King vision blade significantly improved the laryngoscopic view over the Macintosh blade but the time for intubation was prolonged.