Awake intubation of the adult trachea using the Bullard laryngoscope

Awake intubation using the Bullard laryngoscope can be comfortably and easily performed in the adult. Five cases are presented in which tracheal intubation was performed under topical anaesthesia with light intravenous sedation. In each case, topical anaesthesia was performed by insertion of a Guedel oral airway, with lidocaine ointment applied to the inferior and posterior surfaces. In one case, Bullard intubation was successful where direct laryngoscopy and multiple attempts at bronchoscopic intubation by three different operators had failed. We conclude that the Bullard laryngoscope can be easily used in awake patients and may be a useful alternative where other methods for awake intubation have failed.