Medical Design Improves Intubation

Unless you’re a surgeon, assistant, or someone else involved in tracheal intubation, chances are you won’t have an opportunity to see this, the Venner A.P. Advanced Video Laryngoscope, developed by Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC; idc.uk.com) for the Venner Group (vennermedical.de).

According to Marko Plevnik, industrial designer at IDC, the laryngoscope “considerably eases tracheal intubation during general anesthesia or CPR, while reducing patient trauma, even in the most critical cases. A result of intensive user research and testing, the product works both with live video and, uniquely, as a traditional laryngoscope without the video display.”

The design team spent time observing and researching laryngoscopes, and identified a gap: some were good for viewing the vocal chords and others good for positioning the tracheal tube, but none did both well. What’s more, clinicians indicated that the handle design of existing models tended to be too bulky, which could result in maneuverability issues, as well as dental damage.

Plevnik described the features of the new scope: “Communicating precision and reliability, medical grade elastomer grips wrap around a stainless steel chassis forming a sophisticated, comfortable handle. A removable camera facilitates easy cleaning and a range of single-use polycarbonate blades eliminate contamination.”

An important aspect of the development of this product was the actual on-the-ground (presumably sterile, operating room ground) analysis of what works and doesn’t. As Brian Gough, IDC projects director put it, “The new laryngoscope has obtained outstanding feedback following studies of its use by medical staff. By ensuring the views and expertise of clinicians formed during a core part of the development, we have created a device which not only delivers the benefits for patients, but is also more convenient and easy to use for staff.”