Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Mar 22;11(3):575.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics11030575.

Optical Devices in Tracheal Intubation-State of the Art in 2020

Jan Matek  1   2 , Frantisek Kolek  3 , Olga Klementova  4 , Pavel Michalek  5   6 , Tomas Vymazal  3
Affiliations
Review

Optical Devices in Tracheal Intubation-State of the Art in 2020

Jan Matek et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

The review article is focused on developments in optical devices, other than laryngoscopes, in airway management and tracheal intubation. It brings information on advantages and limitations in their use, compares different devices, and summarizes benefits in various clinical settings. Supraglottic airway devices may be used as a conduit for fiberscope-guided tracheal intubation mainly as a rescue plan in the scenario of difficult or failed laryngoscopy. Some of these devices offer the possibility of direct endotracheal tube placement. Hybrid devices combine the features of two different intubating tools. Rigid and semi-rigid optical stylets represent another option in airway management. They offer benefits in restricted mouth opening and may be used also for retromolar intubation. Awake flexible fiberoptic intubation has been a gold standard in predicted difficult laryngoscopy for decades. Modern flexible bronchoscopes used in anesthesia and intensive care are disposable devices and contain optical lenses instead of fibers. Endotracheal tubes with an incorporated optics are used mainly in thoracic anesthesia for lung separation. They are available in double-lumen and single-lumen versions. They offer a benefit of direct view to the carina and do not require flexible fiberscope for their correct placement.

Keywords: fiberoptic tracheal tubes; flexible fiberoptic intubation; hybrid device; optical intubation; optical stylet; supraglottic airway.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

J.M., F.K., O.K. and T.V. do not declare any coflict of interest. P.M. has lectured for several companies manufacturing airway devices—Intersurgical Ltd. (Wokingham, UK), AMBU Ltd. (St Ives, UK) and Intavent Orthofix Ltd. (Maidenhead, UK).

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
PRISMA 2009 flow diagram for searching the records.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Fiberoptic intubation through the i-gel supraglottic airway.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TotalTrack video laryngeal mask.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Levitan FPS optical stylet inserted in a single lumen tracheal tube.
Figure 4
Figure 4
AinCa intubating video stylet.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Ambu aScope 4 flexible bronchoscopes.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The fiberoptic double-lumen tracheal tube.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pahor A.L. Ear, nose, and throat in Ancient Egypt. J. Laryngol. Otol. 1992;106:773–779. doi: 10.1017/S0022215100120869. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Szmuk P., Ezri T., Evron S., Roth Y., Katz J. A brief history of tracheostomy and tracheal intubation, from the Bronze Age to the Space Age. Intensiv. Care Med. 2008;34:222–228. doi: 10.1007/s00134-007-0931-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Garcia M. Observation on the human voice. Laryngoscope. 1905;15:185–194. doi: 10.1288/00005537-190503000-00003. - DOI
    1. Rogers J. Postdiphtheritic stenosis of the larynx (retained intubation instruments and retained tracheal canulae) Ann. Surg. 1900;31:547–571. doi: 10.1097/00000658-190001000-00061. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wong D.T., Yang J.J., Mak H.Y., Jagannathan N. Use of intubation introducers through a supraglottic airway to facilitate tracheal intubation: A brief review. Can. J. Anaesth. 2012;59:704–715. doi: 10.1007/s12630-012-9714-8. - DOI - PubMed