OPTICAL STYLET INTUBATION: A COMPARISON OF THE BONFILS STYLET (RETROMOLAR APPROACH) WITH LEVITAN STYLET (MIDLINE APPROACH) FOR ROUTINE INTUBATION.

Intubation is the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of an anaesthetized patient for airway management during surgery. Intubation is traditionally achieved by inserting a laryngoscope into the anaesthetized patient’s mouth, moving the tongue out of the way and inserting the endotracheal tube through the vocal cords if they can be seen. In the last decade there has been growing interest in a new type of intubating device called optical stylet. Optical stylets incorporate fiberoptic imaging elements in an intubation stylet design. Their appearance is of a thin semi-rigid telescope which an endotracheal tube is threaded over. While any patient may be intubated using a stylet, they have been particularly reccomended for difficult intubations, which occur with an incidence of between 1:300 and 1:3000 (rising with conditions such as obesity and sleep apnoea). The proposed study compares the ease of use and intubation success of the 2 optical stylets, the Bonfils (Storz, Germany) and the Levitan (Clarus, USA) (pictures) amongst specialist anaesthetists whose only experience with them was basic training with the device on airway mannikins. Both devices will be used according to their approved application for device entry at the Therapeutic Goods Administration.