Computer Assisted Pre - operative LaryngoscopyM

Laryngoscopy is a widely used technique in anaesthesia, in which a tube is inserted into the larynx of the patient to allow controlled ventilation of the lungs during an operation. The anaesthetist uses a special instrument, the laryngoscope, to push the tongue down and expose the vocal cords and larynx. In the majority of cases a clear view can be obtained and the tube can be inserted easily. However there are a signiicant number of patients where the view is poor or the larynx cannot be seen at all. In these cases intubation can be very diicult and in certain circumstances failure to intubate quickly can be life threatening. We have developed a computer system for pre-operative assessment of patients to help anaesthetists to identify and deal with diiculty laryngoscopy. It allows the anaesthetist to go through some important steps simulating a real laryngoscopy before the procedure is done on a particular patient. We expect this prototype to be usefull for a number of tasks. These include the formulation of eeective strategies for diicult intubation such as the use of other intubation procedures, the evaluation of current and new laryngoscope blade designs and building a valid three-dimensional computer laryngoscopy model.