Simulation and educationUtility of the Pentax-AWS® without interruption of chest compression: Comparison of the Macintosh laryngoscope with the Pentax-AWS® in manikin model☆
Introduction
Standard direct laryngoscopic tracheal intubation remains the preferred technique to establish advanced airway management. However, sufficient experience is required to be proficient in using this technique. In an emergency situation, airway management is often performed by a less experienced physician, particularly under suboptimal conditions. This may affect a patient's morbidity.1, 2 Introduction of tracheal intubation by video laryngoscope might have benefits in these situations.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
The Pentax-AWS® system (AWS; Pentax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) is a newly developed portable video laryngoscope that is designed for tracheal intubation under normal and difficult airway situations. It consists of a camera, a monitor, and a disposable blade (PBlade®). The PBlade® is designed to provide a view of the glottis without alignment of the oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes and has a channel on its right side by which it holds and guides the endotracheal tube (ETT). Previous studies have demonstrated that the Pentax-AWS® improves the glottic view and is the device of choice among several video laryngoscopes.4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Several animal studies have shown that frequent or prolonged interruption of chest compressions is associated with reduced coronary perfusion pressure, reduced return of spontaneous circulation, reduced survival rates, and reduced post-resuscitation myocardial function.13, 14, 15, 16 The 2005 American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiac care (ECC) recommend that all rescuers should minimize interruption of chest compression for checking the pulse, analyzing rhythm, or performing other activities such as insertion of advanced airway management or use of a defibrillator.
Our hypothesis is that tracheal intubation via the Pentax-AWS® system is possible during cardiopulmonary resuscitation without interruption of chest compressions. To test our hypothesis, tracheal intubation was performed by less experienced medical personnel (doctors applying for medical internship in our hospital) using a manikin model (ALS simulator, Laerdal, Stavanger, Norway).
Section snippets
Methods
After approval from the Institutional Review Board at our hospital, written informed consent was obtained from 32 participants. All participants had limited clinical experience in real patients. Before recruitment into our study, 15 participants had never attempted tracheal intubation in real patients. Although the other 17 volunteers had some prior experience of tracheal intubation, while they were students they had performed fewer than 10 tracheal intubations (2.76 ± 2.88) under the supervision
Results
Thirty-two participants (medical interns) who had performed fewer than 10 tracheal intubations were enrolled in this study. The majority of the participants were male (n = 21, 65.6%). The mean age of participants was 27.4 (±1.95) years, the mean height was 168 (±7.80) cm and the mean weight was 61.7 (±11.24) kg. No participants had prior experience with the Pentax-AWS®.
Discussion
As a result of recent advances in video technology and in fiber optic systems, several kinds of video laryngoscopes have been introduced. Recent studies showed that the video laryngoscope is superior to a conventional laryngoscope in enabling a glottic view, in success rate, and in management of difficult airways.3, 5, 7, 17, 18, 19 Pott and Murray suggested that the management of potentially difficult intubations is likely to change through the use of video laryngoscopes.4 Malik et al.
Conclusion
Less experienced medical personnel were able to successfully perform endotracheal intubation without interruption of chest compression in a manikin model simulating cardiac arrest under conditions of both normal and difficult airways. Further validation of the Pentax-AWS® in the clinical setting is required.
Conflict of interest
No author has any conflict of interest in regard to devices and finance.
Funding
This article was not financially supported by any company or organization.
Acknowledgement
The authors thank Dr. Imju Kang, who is a certified BLS provider at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, for his contribution to this study.
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Cited by (36)
C-MAC compared with direct laryngoscopy for intubation in patients with cervical spine immobilization: A manikin trial
2017, American Journal of Emergency MedicinePerformance of intubation with 4 different airway devices by unskilled rescuers: Manikin study
2015, American Journal of Emergency MedicineCitation Excerpt :Because TTV with the iGEL was nearly half that with the LMA, in terms of time management, we suggest the iGEL may be more useful for rapid airway establishment. Although many previous surveys on intubation with the AWS in comparison with the MCL or other VLs [7-20], to our knowledge, there are no reports comparing the performance of the AWS with SADs. In line with previous results, intubation with the AWS had a longer TTV than the SADs in this study.
Comparison of the pentax, truview, glidescope, and the miller laryngoscope for child intubation during resuscitation
2015, American Journal of Emergency MedicineCitation Excerpt :Median time until final placement was 20.6 (IQR, 18-27) seconds. Han et al [13] during intubation of an adult with simultaneous chest compression found that the overall effectiveness of intubation using Pentax-AWS was 100%, and time to intubation was 13.5 seconds. One hundred percent effectiveness of Pentax-AWS during intubation also replicates the studies of Komasawa et al [10].
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A Spanish translated version of the abstract of this article appears as Appendix in the final online version at doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2009.09.031.