Comparison of videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation in paediatric patients

Abstract

There are many studies in India that have compared direct laryngoscopy and video laryngoscopy in adults but the published data regarding paediatric population which needs special consideration is limited. The present study was aimed to compare the efficacy of video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy in endotracheal intubation in paediatric patients.The present randomised controlled research was done in 64 children of one to five years that underwent pre-planned surgery. Children were divided into direct laryngoscopy and video laryngoscopy groups by randomization. The comparison of the time required for the best visualisation of glottis was the primary outcome measure. The comparison of the time to intubation and number of attempts were the secondary outcome measures. An unpaired student’s t-test and the Chi-square/ Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare the quantitative and qualitative variables respectively.Mean time required for the best visualisation of video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy was 6.1 sec and 5.3 sec respectively (p-value = 0.010). The mean time to intubation of video laryngoscopy was 15.3 sec while that of direct laryngoscopy was 13.1 sec (p-value = 0.001). The first attempt success rate was 29/32 (90.6%) in the video laryngoscopy group whereas it was 28/32 (87.5%) in the direct laryngoscopy group (p-value = 0.580).Time required for the best visualisation of glottis and time to intubation were significantly higher in video laryngoscopy as compared to direct laryngoscopy group.