Airway Scope: early clinical experience in 405 patients.

The Airway Scope (Pentax, Tokyo, Japan) is a new device used for tracheal intubation. It allows visualization of the glottis through a non-line-of sight view. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the suitability of this device for the tracheal intubation of surgical patients. In this prospective study, the Airway Scope was used for the endotracheal intubation of 405 patients by 74 airway operators. The Airway Scope allowed visualization of the glottis in all 405 patients, including those with a Cormack-Lehane view of grade III (n = 15) or grade IV (n = 1) on Macintosh laryngoscopy. All tracheal intubations using the Airway Scope were successful. The mean time to complete tracheal intubation was 42.4 +/- 19.7 s (+/-SD; range, 13-192 s). No dental damage was encountered, though minor mucosal injury caused by the blade was experienced in 2 patients. The Airway Scope consistently permitted a better intubation environment. With its potential advantages, the Airway Scope could be an effective aid to airway management in surgical patients.