Aids for facilitation of difficult tracheal intubation review and recent advances

Management of difficult tracheal intubation has been facilitated by different techniques which include the use of stylets, introducers, intubating laryngeal mask airway, as well as by the development of special laryngoscope blades and fiberoptic laryngoscopes. The most recent advances for facilitation of difficult tracheal intubation is the introduction of the video-assisted laryngoscopes. The management of difficult tracheal intubation by video-assisted laryngoscopy can be further facilitated by using suspension laryngoscopy which frees the hands of the anesthesiologist to handle the insertion of the endotracheal tube with the aid of an endotracheal tube introducer, and a curved pipe stylet, under an umbrella of pharyngeal oxygen insufflation.