intubation

Direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation are noxious stimuli that can lead to adverse response to cardiovascular, respiratory and other physiological responses.

This hemodynamic response due to laryngoscopy and intubation is the result of an increase in the levels of circulatory catecholamines which cause the elevation of blood pressure and heart rate.

The McGrath VL results in a clear picture of the nearby airway anatomy and vocal cords on a liquid crystal display screen mounted on the handle.6 In 2633 general anesthesia cases, the incidence of failed intubation was one in 1300, and the incidence of difficult intubation was 4.7%, which is at the lower end of the recorded range of 1.3 to 16.3% in obstetric patients.7 Despite emerging evidence that VLs enhance the glottic view and improve intubation success rate, few studies have considered the function of this device, especially when used in obstetric patients.5 The primary objective of this study was to test the glottic visualization provided by the Macintosh direct laryngoscope (DL) and McGrath VL and the time taken to intubate patients undergoing cesarean section.

A computer was used to generate random numbers, and patients were randomly allocated to two groups in which they would receive intubation with either the McGrath VL (Aircraft Medical Ltd., Edinburgh, UK) (n=50) or the Macintosh DL (n=50).