[Intubation with the GlideScope videolaryngoscope in a man with severe cervical spondylolisthesis]

Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2005 Aug-Sep;52(7):425-8.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

We describe a new videolaryngoscopic device designed for use in cases of difficult airway. The device consists of a plastic blade with a video camera located halfway along its length. A mounted light source assembly means that bleeding ocurring in the airway will not obstruct the view. A 7-inch liquid crystal display monitor that can be transported quickly is useful in situations away from an operating room. Because the GlideScope can be introduced without moving the neck, it has been used in patients with cervical instability. We report the case of a 56-year-old man who underwent surgery for severe cervical spondylolisthesis. We describe a modified approach to managing the videolaryngoscope that facilitated maneuvering and intubation and that offers an effective alternative to techniques with other devices. The advantages and disadvantages reported in the literature are reviewed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Airway Obstruction / prevention & control
  • Cervical Vertebrae / surgery*
  • Comorbidity
  • Decompression, Surgical / methods
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Intubation, Intratracheal / methods*
  • Joint Instability / physiopathology
  • Joint Instability / surgery
  • Laryngoscopes*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Spinal Cord Compression / etiology
  • Spinal Cord Compression / surgery
  • Spondylolisthesis / complications
  • Spondylolisthesis / surgery*
  • Television