Posture used by anaesthetists during laryngoscopy

Abstract

There is little advice on the posture to be used when intubating the trachea. Does the stance used depend on experience? Twenty-six subjects with varying experience of intubation were photographed during laryngoscopy of an intubation training mannequin. Posture was measured from the photographs and the data were analysed with the Mann-Whitney U-test. The less experienced group had shallower lines of sight, levered more, and stood with their face closer to the mannequin (P=0.037, 0.018 and 0.06 respectively). Novice anaesthetists should be given explicit instructions on correct trolley height and should be taught to intubate with a straight back.