Teaching and supervising tracheal intubation in paediatric patients using videolaryngoscopy

In 85 patients (mean age 4.6 +/- 3.1 years, range 0-10 years), a prototype of a new videolaryngoscope was used to provide a display of the intubation procedure in a paediatric anaesthesia teaching unit. The device provided im portant information to the teacher about the trainee's problems related to direct laryngoscopy, difficulties with tube insertion into the larynx as we ll as the need and extent for anterior laryngeal pressure. Because the vide olaryngoscope did not impair the normal intubation procedure, it seems to b e a safe and a benefical tool for teaching and supervising tracheal intubat ion in children. In addition, it provides a potentially useful aid during d ifficult laryngoscopy, since the monitor view of the vocal cords was signif icantly better compared with a direct laryngoscopic view (P < 0.001).