Endotracheal intubation with Optical Stylet Vs Macintosh Laryngoscope performed on a manikin by medical students: A prospective manikin trial

Objective: To investigate laryngoscopic images, intubation time, intubation success, satisfaction and ease of use of a Macintosh laryngoscope and the Clarus optical stylet among inexperienced medical students. Methods: The prospective, experimental study was conducted at Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey, from May to June 2017, and comprised medical school term VI students who had never before carried out endotracheal intubation. A standardised oral presentation and demonstration of the intubation technique with each device were given. Elements measured were success rate of orotracheal intubation, successful intubation time, number of intubation interventions, Cormack-Lehane classification, usefulness and satisfaction with the devices. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 94 subjects, 60(63.8%) were females. The overall mean age was 24.38 +/- 0.94 years. Compared to the direct laryngoscope, the optical stylet recorded a better success rate at first attempt (p<0.001), as well as with intubation time (p<0.001), pleasure (p<0.001) and usefulness (p< 0.001). Conclusion: The use of an optical stylet increased endotracheal intubation success among inexperienced users.