6 1
M AY 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
A N E S T H E S I A
other electronic components are surface disinfected. Some incorpo-
rate an autoclavable or immersible handle and blade, while others
slide a camera stick into a disposable blade. Sometimes a disposable
plastic cover shields the assembly during use. Some are entirely dis-
posable. What's essential, says Mr. Cryder, is following the manufac-
turer's directions for turnaround to the letter.
"Cost is a big deal, it'll always be a big deal," says Dr. Doyle, but the
rescue technology should be readily available to each anesthesia
provider working in each OR at a moment's notice.
The best option for equipping your providers may be seeking out
others' opinions. Before arranging hands-on trials with manufacturers,
be sure to call the anesthesia and emergency departments at large
teaching hospitals in your area. "They usually have 1 or 2 different
types and have tried them out," says Mr. Cryder. "How have they liked
their devices?" OSM
E-mail
db erna rd@outpa tientsurg ery.net
.
Healthcare System in Boone, N.C. "Now it's just video laryngoscopes.
This is the gold standard for everything we think is likely to be an
advanced airway."
He says even the worst possible airways can be successfully intubat-
ed without trauma. "The visualization really opens it up," he explains.
"You can do so much more, much more safely with it."
The technology has even made its way into the American Society of
Anesthesiologists' 2013 update of its Practice Guidelines for
Management of the Difficult Airway (
tinyurl.com/kdfe9o3
). "While it does
not name it a standard of care, it does for the first time mention it as a
choice," says D. John Doyle, MD, PhD, a professor of anesthesia at the
Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
— David Bernard
OSE_1405_part2_Layout 1 5/8/14 2:23 PM Page 61