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THINKING OF BUYING ...
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Patient demographics
Some devices offer a complete range of options for airway visualization, serving pediatric to adult to obese adult patients. Other manufacturers offer a limited size range. Anticipating future needs is an important step in selecting the appropriate video laryngoscope. Choose a
device based on your patient population's demographics as well as the
anticipated use of the instrument. Practice patterns and facility utilization evolve over time, and the capability to conduct video laryngoscopy among pediatric patients, for example, may be as easy as
changing a disposable handle, or may require the purchase of an altogether different system.
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Recording capability
Some facilities may have a greater exposure to teaching (such as the
education of residents, students, community emergency medical service providers or others). They may review untoward anesthetic events
rigorously. For these facilities, the ability for providers to digitally
record an entire intubation sequence and save it as a memory file on
the video laryngoscope for download and later analysis may prove
extremely advantageous. OSM
Dr. De (dea@mail.amc.edu) is an assistant professor and division chief of
anesthesiology and Mr. Kattato (kattatd@mail.amc.edu) is chief CRNA at
the South Clinical Campus of Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.
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