The Airway Scope, a new video laryngoscope: its use in three patients with cervical spine problems

Abstract

Editor—The Airway Scope AWS-S100 (Pentax, Tokyo, Japan) is a new video laryngoscope that enables laryngoscopy without alignment of the oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes.¹ The handle has a 6 cm LCD monitor screen, and a flexible image tube with a camera and LED light source mounted at the tip. The disposable polycarbonate blade, the Pblade, has a channel that completely encloses and protects the image tube, a groove to hold and guide the insertion of the tracheal tube, and a separate channel for a suction catheter (Fig. 1 a). The Pblade tip is positioned posterior to the epiglottis, to lift it during laryngoscopy. The target symbol on the LCD display helps alignment of the Pblade with the larynx for tracheal intubation (Fig. 1 b). We report our use of the Airway Scope in three patients with cervical spine pathology and difficult conventional laryngoscopy.