eISSN: 1731-2531
ISSN: 1642-5758
Anaesthesiology Intensive Therapy
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SCImago Journal & Country Rank
2/2023
vol. 55
 
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abstract:
Original article

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on videolaryngoscopy: a cross-sectional before-and-after survey

Ayten Saracoglu
1, 2
,
Kemal Tolga Saracoglu
2, 3
,
Massimiliano Sorbello
4
,
Gül Çakmak
5
,
Robert Greif
6, 7

  1. Department of Anaesthesiology, ICU & Perioperative Medicine, Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital, HMC, Doha, Qatar
  2. School of Medicine, Qatar University Doha, Qatar
  3. Department of Anaesthesiology, ICU & Perioperative Medicine, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital HMC, Doha, Qatar
  4. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, AOU Policlinico San Marco Catania, Catania, Italy
  5. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
  6. Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Therapy, Bern University Hospital Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland
  7. School of Medicine, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther 2023; 55, 2: 93–102
Online publish date: 2023/06/30
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Background:
Guidelines and consensus statements recommend the use of videola­ryngoscopes (VLs) in airway management of patients with COVID-19. However, there is a lack of knowledge about which types of videolaryngoscopes are used, differences of use between countries, and how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their use. The primary aim of this before-and-after cross-sectional survey study was to assess the frequency of the use of videolaryngoscopy in the operation theatres in different countries. Also, the preferred characteristics of videolaryngoscopes were assessed.

Methods:
With Ethics Committee approval, a questionnaire was distributed among anaes­thesiologists through the European Airway Management Society’s network in 2019 before and in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses to the questions were analysed and presented as descriptive statistics.

Results:
We reached out to 791 anaesthesiologists; 155 (19.5%) returned the first questionnaire, and 91 (11.5%) returned the second survey. Videolaryngoscopes were used in 24.1% of cases before COVID-19 and in 43.1% after the pandemic (P < 0.001). We revealed that the availability of videolaryngoscopes increased to 100% in all centres during the pandemic. Routine use of videolaryngoscopes in all cases increased from 12.5% to 38.9%. The type of videolaryngoscope and the blade preference did not change during this period (P = 1.000).

Conclusions:
This survey reflects that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the availability and use of videolaryngoscopes in operating theatres, and that more anaesthesiologists now use them routinely in all cases. The preferred type of VL or blade did not change during the pandemic.

keywords:

airway management, videolaryngoscope, COVID-19, equipment, intubation

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