AIMS The sniffing position is considered to be the standard position for direct laryngoscopic viewing. This crossover study evaluated age and gender as variables in comparing the benefits of the sniffing position over simple head extension for laryngeal view during direct laryngoscopy. METHODS Laryngoscopy with a curved blade was performed on 200 anesthetized adults (100 males, 100 females) p...

BACKGROUND Video laryngoscopy has, in recent years, become more available to emergency physicians. However, little research has been conducted to compare their success to conventional direct laryngoscopy. OBJECTIVES To compare the success rates of GlideScope(®) (Verathon Inc., Bothell, WA) videolaryngoscopy (GVL) with direct laryngoscopy (DL) for emergency department (ED) intubations. METHO...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To describe our systematic approach to securing the airway in patients with laryngeal tumors, developed over a 10-year period. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING University-affiliated veterans administration medical center. PATIENTS Eight hundred one patients presenting for laryngeal tumor surgery in a 10-year period, 285 of whom underwent tracheostomy (25 with local a...

Introduction: Injury to cranial nerves IX, X, and XII is a known complication of laryngoscopy and intubation. Here we present a patient with concurrent hypoglossal and recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis after rhinoplasty. Case Report: The patient was a 27-year-old woman who was candidate for rhinoplastic surgery. The next morning after the operation, the patient complained of dysphonia and a s...

BACKGROUND Preoperative evaluation of anatomical landmarks and clinical factors are important in the detection of patients at risk for difficult laryngoscopy. The modified Mallampati test (MMT) and thyromental distance (TMD) are commonly used for this purpose but there are controversies regarding their accuracy. OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of MMT ...

To the Editor:-The McCoy levering laryngoscope is a useful device,’.’ but does not uniformly improve the view in some cases of difficult laryngoscopy.’.’ We report a case in which the McCoy laryngoscope did not improve the direct view of the larynx, but instead lifted the epiglottis and expanded structures around the laryngeal aperture (LA), thereby facilitating “blind” tracheal intubation. A 7...