Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence

Pregnancy-related physiologic and anatomic changes affect oxygenation and airway management, and it is widely believed that airway difficulty may be more common in obstetric patients as a result. In addition, most obstetric intubations are performed under emergency conditions, and preoperative airwa...

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Main Author: Tatjana Stopar Pintarič
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023-11-01
Series:Biomolecules & Biomedicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/9154
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author Tatjana Stopar Pintarič
author_facet Tatjana Stopar Pintarič
author_sort Tatjana Stopar Pintarič
collection DOAJ
description Pregnancy-related physiologic and anatomic changes affect oxygenation and airway management, and it is widely believed that airway difficulty may be more common in obstetric patients as a result. In addition, most obstetric intubations are performed under emergency conditions, and preoperative airway assessment poorly predicts airway management outcomes. These considerations necessitate special protocols for airway care in the obstetric population, and the evolution of the videolaryngoscope represents one of the most important milestones in recent decades. However, recommendations for the use of videolaryngoscopy in obstetrics remain unclear. A considerable body of evidence affirms that videolaryngoscopy improves laryngeal visualisation, increases first-attempt and overall intubation success rates, shortens intubation time, and facilitates team communication and education. In contrast, a significant number of studies have also reported conflicting results regarding comparative clinical outcomes and have highlighted other limitations regarding the adoption of videolaryngoscopy in routine obstetric care. Nevertheless, considering the peculiarities of obstetric intubation, the Macintosh-style videolaryngoscope can be suggested as the primary intubation device as it offers the benefits of both videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy. However, more rigorous evidence is needed to clarify the current blind spots and controversies regarding the role of videolaryngoscopy in obstetrics.
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spelling doaj.art-fde19058ad6d46609dca14a2eae3c7852024-03-15T13:22:24ZengAssociation of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBiomolecules & Biomedicine2831-08962831-090X2023-11-0123610.17305/bb.2023.9154Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidenceTatjana Stopar Pintarič0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2750-5386Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaPregnancy-related physiologic and anatomic changes affect oxygenation and airway management, and it is widely believed that airway difficulty may be more common in obstetric patients as a result. In addition, most obstetric intubations are performed under emergency conditions, and preoperative airway assessment poorly predicts airway management outcomes. These considerations necessitate special protocols for airway care in the obstetric population, and the evolution of the videolaryngoscope represents one of the most important milestones in recent decades. However, recommendations for the use of videolaryngoscopy in obstetrics remain unclear. A considerable body of evidence affirms that videolaryngoscopy improves laryngeal visualisation, increases first-attempt and overall intubation success rates, shortens intubation time, and facilitates team communication and education. In contrast, a significant number of studies have also reported conflicting results regarding comparative clinical outcomes and have highlighted other limitations regarding the adoption of videolaryngoscopy in routine obstetric care. Nevertheless, considering the peculiarities of obstetric intubation, the Macintosh-style videolaryngoscope can be suggested as the primary intubation device as it offers the benefits of both videolaryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy. However, more rigorous evidence is needed to clarify the current blind spots and controversies regarding the role of videolaryngoscopy in obstetrics. https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/9154Videolaryngoscopydirect laryngoscopyendotracheal intubationobstetric anaesthesiaairway management
spellingShingle Tatjana Stopar Pintarič
Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
Biomolecules & Biomedicine
Videolaryngoscopy
direct laryngoscopy
endotracheal intubation
obstetric anaesthesia
airway management
title Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
title_full Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
title_fullStr Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
title_full_unstemmed Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
title_short Videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics: A narrative review of current evidence
title_sort videolaryngoscopy as a primary intubation modality in obstetrics a narrative review of current evidence
topic Videolaryngoscopy
direct laryngoscopy
endotracheal intubation
obstetric anaesthesia
airway management
url https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/9154
work_keys_str_mv AT tatjanastoparpintaric videolaryngoscopyasaprimaryintubationmodalityinobstetricsanarrativereviewofcurrentevidence