Historical Verathon Approved JEMS Video

http://airway.jems.com/2011/05/advancing-technology-the-glidescope

Worlds First True Video Laryngoscope - GlideScope

The proverbial home workshop that has created so many new products and procedures was also pivotal in the creation of the "World's  first True Video Laryngoscope , the GlideScope."

   The first GlideScope  video laryngoscope: defined as a video camera mounted on a rigid laryngoscope blade with no fiberoptic components, exploited the development of the CMOS security cameras developed in the late 1990s. The GlideScope , circa 2000, was a  disposable Direct Laryngoscope blade heat modified to incorporate a video camera and LED epoxied onto the under surface, at the point of angulation,  to place the viewer in the pharynx with a panoramic view of the glottis. This proved to be a powerful tool.

Overview of the GlideScope history

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
THE PROBLEM


Placement of a tube into the trachea during surgery or lung failure permits mechanically-
controlled ventilation of a paralysed, sedated patient. Anesthesia and induced respiratory failure make the patient totally reliant on the caregiver to adequately maintain ventilation, otherwise severe brain damage or death may occur. A condition known as “airway anxiety” exists because the classic 1895 innovation of direct laryngoscopy, updated by MacIntosh in 1943, may fail to adequately show the entrance to the airway in as many as 10% of patients. This situation can hinder timely intubation during critical treatment or lead to esophageal tube placement – a situation that often produces deadly results.

GLIDESCOPE® -THE FIRST VIDEO CAMERA LARYNGOSCOPE

  Dr. John Pacey has conceived and developed a unique device – the GlideScope® video laryngoscope –which solves the problem described above in more than 99% of treatment cases. The device greatly improves the ability to see the airway entrance at the larynx, resulting in a high probability of “first pass” success for the caregiver. To achieve this reliability the GlideScope® “sees around the corner” behind the tongue via a video camera positioned in the pharynx, which looks directly toward the larynx. Extensive experimentation and discovery by Dr. Pacey, along with analysis of lateral view MRI images (see Appendix), found that the solution requires a specific 60 degree angle on the blade of the device. Also important was the discovery that having a special camera placed 6 cm back from the larynx provided a clearer and more panoramic view of the critical area. This panoramic view countered the belief of others that the optimal site for the camera was in the vicinity of the blade tip. The GlideScope® is provided with a low cost lighting solution that exploits the low temperature and power consumption of illuminating light emitting diodes. These LEDs replace a $5000 Xenon light source seen on classic endoscopic systems. Typical fibre-optic systems cost $50,000 and are fragile, whereas the rugged GlideScope® system costs approximately $10,000 and requires little maintenance. Additionally, the GlideScope® has a patented heating system for the camera lens to prevent the typical fogging problems that have plagued endoscopes over the years. Device start-up is rapid and requires pressing only a single button, contrasting with older systems that require white balance and tuning. These additional configuration tasks often frustrated users at times when seconds meant the difference between life and death. 

   The GlideScope® also presents an enormous advantage for training due to the fact that it has a method of use familiar to those trained on older types of laryngoscopes. However, in contrast with these direct laryngoscope models, which often require between 200 and 400 uses to master, the GlideScope® requires only two to ten uses to do so. Modern trainees are also particularly adept with the use of video technology, and the new capability of recording GlideScope® video allows medical directors to monitor quality of care and provide real video for training. The telemedicine GlideScope® now under testing also allows coaching from an emergency department hub. Dr.Pacey’s vision of a field telemedicine airway device using Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity is an important intellectual first.

    The streaming video connection can now be made to smart phone handheld devices for further convenience. The GlideScope® has proven to be a "skill-levelling” device that has been successfully used by fire personnel, EMS, police EMS, respiratory technologists, nurse anesthetists, medical students, and military corpsmen, often in adverse situations. There is a developing consensus that the advent of video laryngoscopy will replace the 100 year old direct laryngoscope technology for all airway management, mostly due to ease of use and the substantial increase in patient safety. The measure of its success is evidenced by its adoption on a global scale by respected and hard-working medical professionals who swear by this important Canadian innovation.

Dr John Allen Pacey MD FRCSc
Vascular and General Surgery
Vancouver , Canada