A laryngoscope is a medical instrument used to visualize a patient’s pharynx and larynx for orotracheal intubation. It consists of a handle and blade, with different sizes for different patients. There are two types of blades, straight and curved, used to lift the epiglottis or vallecula to visualize the vocal cords for intubation.
A laryngoscope is an illuminating medical instrument used by healthcare professionals to enable visualization of a patient’s pharynx and larynx. The pharynx is the area directly behind the nose and mouth, and the larynx is better known as the larynx. A laryngoscope is specially designed to fit into a patient’s airway to allow for a procedure known as orotracheal intubation, in which a tube is inserted through the mouth into the trachea, or windpipe, to deliver oxygen and medications and allow for deep suction.
There are two components to this instrument: the laryngoscope blade and the handle. The handle contains the batteries needed for lighting, and the blade, which is inserted into the airway, has a bulb at the end from which a bright light shines during use. These blades are not sharp and do not cut the skin in any way. Laryngoscope blades come in different sizes, with 0 being the smallest and 4 being the largest. The size of the patient to be intubated determines the size of blade the healthcare provider will use.
The handle and blade of the typical laryngoscope are two separate pieces that must be assembled before each use, but this can be accomplished in seconds, allowing physicians and paramedics to use this tool in respiratory emergencies requiring orotracheal intubation. A laryngoscope is not a large instrument; the handle is about the size of a doorknob and the blade is a little shorter than the handle. There are two types of laryngoscope blades: curved and straight. Both are inserted deep within the patient’s airways.
A straight blade is used to lift a leaf-shaped structure called the epiglottis, which serves to keep food and foreign objects from entering the windpipe, and this type of blade is generally preferred when a pediatric patient needs to be intubated. A curved blade is preferable when an adult patient needs to be intubated. It is not the epiglottis that is lifted with a curved blade, it is inserted into another structure called a vallecula. Regardless of the type of blade used, the goal is the same, which is to allow visualization of the vocal cords through which the endotracheal tube can be passed into the trachea. The importance of visualizing the vocal cords is that it is imperative that the doctor or paramedic performing the orotracheal intubation make sure that they place the tube in the trachea and not the esophagus, the tube that leads to the stomach.
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