Anesthesia News reported on a study that found C-Mac video laryngoscopy effectively minimizes head and neck movement during intubation.
Singh Rhini, MD, of the University of New Delhi (India), presented research at the 2016 annual meeting of the Society for Airway Management on the topic.
Dr. Rhini and researchers examined 105 patients in three groups of 35 who underwent one of three procedures: conventional laryngoscopy, C-MAC video laryngoscopy and D-blade laryngoscopy.
The team saw "significantly less" movement with the C-Mac than with conventional MAC. Dr. Rhini said to Anesthesia News that C-Mac looks promising if surgeons maintain minimal movement.
Researchers measured the degrees and the time to view needed for the interarytenoid fold:
- Conventional Macintosh movement: 15 degrees
- C-Mac: 11 degrees
- With the D-blade: 6 degrees
The time to view did not vary drastically between different blades:
- Conventional Macinotsh: 12 seconds
- C-Mac: 12 seconds
- D-blade: 14.5 seconds
However, Dr. Rihni said the D-blade was "more difficult to use than the other two blades because of its angulation.
Anesthesia News said, "The study points to the importance of anesthesiologists knowing which blades are available at their particular institutions and how to use them."