Lesson 6 - Glidescope® or its Cousins: MICU Fellows Airway Course
"Oh be joyful!" the world of airway management shouted when Glidescopes arrived. In just a few short years, Glidescopes (and their many variants). Whereas THE thing to do in a difficult airway situation used to routinely be "get the fiberoptic", the current thinking is "get the Glidescope". In anesthesia practices, Glidescopes enjoy widespread use, discussion among ER attendings includes "all intubations should be done with Glidescopes". Of course these ideas are debatable, but the fact that we are even considering all intubations should be done with Glidescopes indicates just what a big place Glidescopes occupy in airway practice.
The main differences between generic larygoscopy and Glidescope laryngoscopy are:
-place the Glidecope in the MIDDLE of the tongue, right in the center of everything
-have your endotracheal tube bent in a big C shape.
As always, be prepared, position the head well, give the appropriate meds, mask (if this is not a rapid sequence induction), then place the Glidescope. Most of the time, you will be utterly amazed, you look at the screen and BINGO the cords are right THERE. Then curve the endotracheal tube in. Voila!