Straight Intubating Scope Assists Emergency Airway Management

A disposable bougie introducer helps users obtain a definitive secure airway with increased first pass success odds.

The Adroit Surgical (Oklahoma City, OK, USA) Vie Scope is a self-contained, battery powered, disposable scope that facilitates insertion of an endotracheal tube (ETT), as opposed to temporizing measures such as a laryngeal mask airway. The Vie Scope is based on a closed circular tube with a beveled end; light is transmitted from a ring of multiple LEDS at the proximal end of the clear tube, through the side wall and within the lumen of the tube, to give users 360 degree maximal illumination of the vocal cords with minimal chance of light obstruction by secretions or blood.

The Vie Scope design is wide enough to allow an excellent direct view to the vocal cords, but is narrow enough to negotiate past the mandible, maxilla, and tongue. It is inserted using either hand with the operators preferred method, including the Tomahawk approach, directly to the vocal cords (below the epiglottis). A bougie is then introduced between the vocal cords, and the Vie Scope is removed; an ETT is then passed over the bougie into the trachea, and once ventilation is confirmed, the bougie is removed.

“The gun-shaped device has a clear plastic barrel, with LED lights and a peephole the paramedic can look through. The idea is to clear a path down the throat, making it quicker and easier to send down a breathing tube in an emergency,” said Nilesh Vasan, CEO and founder of Adroit Surgical. “It just moves tissue out of the way. Our single-use, one size device was engineered to make difficult intubation a simple procedure.”

It is often challenging for emergency medical service (EMS) practitioners to establish a secure airway for endotracheal intubation and is often considered the most difficult procedure for EMS practitioners with insufficient training to perform. The major obstacle is usually a failure to visualize the larynx due to anatomical variation and/or manipulation errors. When combined with inadequate training, this can lead to malpositioning of the ETT and unnecessary trauma.

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