Video Assisted Laryngoscope Facilitates Intubation Skill Learning in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Background

Up-to-date technology has been increasingly useful for learning resuscitation skills in the emergency and resuscitation settings. It improves the learning curve of the learners and helps them to avoid making mistakes on real patients. This study aimed to evaluate the educational efficiency for tracheal intubation by comparing Macintosh (direct) laryngoscope (DL) and video laryngoscope (VL) learning in novices.

Methods

This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted in an emergency department between 2013 and 2014. Fifth- and sixth-year medical students were enrolled and assigned to normal airway and difficult airway groups, respectively. They were then further randomized into using a VL or DL for tracheal intubation learning. Participants had three practices before proceeding to the post-course assessment. Our primary outcome was post-course assessment performance, which included intubation success rate, total intubation time and best glottic view. The secondary outcome was the sum of total intubation learning times during the three practices.

Results

We recruited 177 undergraduate students. Of these, 97 were assigned to the normal airway group (49 VL and 48 DL) and 80 were placed in the difficult airway group (40 each for VL and DL). VL significantly quickened the intubation learning time in both the normal airway and difficult airway groups (140 s vs. 158 s, 141 s vs. 221.5 s; both p < 0.05). The learning curve was much improved with VL when compared using time-to-event analysis ( p < 0.001). VL also improved the glottic view performance during post-course assessments.

Conclusions

VL improves the learning curve in acquiring intubation skills compared with traditional DL. It shortens the time undergraduate students take to develop such skills and increased their first attempt success rates.