Karippacheril, John George and Goneppanavar, Umesh and Shetty, Nanda (2013) Assessment and Confirmation of Tracheal Intubation when Capnography Fails: A Novel Use for an USB Camera. J Clin Monit Comput, 27 (5). pp. 531-533.

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Abstract

A 62 year old male with a right pyriform fossa lesion extending to the right arytenoid and obscuring the glottic inlet was planned for laser assisted excision. Direct laryngoscopic assessment after topicalization of the airway, showed a Cormack Lehane grade 3 view. We report a case where, in the absence of a fiberscope, a novel inexpensive Universal Serial Bus camera was used to obtain an optimal laryngoscopic view. This provided direct visual confirmation of tracheal intubation with a Laser Flex tube, when capnography failed to show any trace. Capnography may not be reliable as a sole indicator of confirmation of correct endotracheal tube placement. Video laryngoscopy may provide additional confirmation of endotracheal intubation.

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