Laryngoscope plastic blades in scheduled general anesthesia patients: a comparative randomized study

Study ObjectiveTo compare two brands of disposable plastic laryngoscope blades, Vital View plastic blades and Heine XP plastic blades, with the reusable Heine Classic+ Macintosh metal blades.DesignProspective randomized, controlled, single-blinded study.SettingOperating room of a university-affiliated hospital.Patients519 patients without criteria for predicted difficult intubation, undergoing scheduled surgery during general anesthesia.InterventionsPatients were randomized to three groups according to laryngoscope blade brand.MeasurementsDifficult tracheal intubation was evaluated by the Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS) (IDS > 5 = procedure involving moderate to major difficulty).Main ResultsThe percentage of intubations with an IDS > 5 was 3.1% in Group M (metal blade group), 5.1% in Group V (Vital View plastic blade group), and 10.0% in Group H (Heine plastic blade group). A significant difference was noted between Groups M and H (P = 0.02) but not between Groups M and V.ConclusionsIntubation may be more challenging when using Heine XP plastic blades but no significant difference exists between Vital-View plastic blades and Heine Classic+ metal blades.