Insert the Blade To The Right Of The Tongue Grasp it firmly but don’t clench your fist because this decreases control and causes early fatigue. Hold the handle in your left hand, blade down, pointing away from you. You must control this motion carefully to avoid tooth damage. Notice how easily you can change the angle of the blade by tilting your wrist. By positioning the heel of my hand on the junction between blade and handle, I can fine-tune the angle of the blade. I personally place my hand lower down on the handle. You can now step back from the head and use your left hand to pick up the blade. Pulling toward you also places the head in extension. It holds the mouth open as wide as possible. Make sure that you place your fingers as far to the right side of the mouth as you can in order to keep your fingers out of the way of the blade. By using a pushing rather than a spreading motion, you can open the mouth wider and more forcefully. Position and movement is similar to snapping your fingers. Open the mouth as wide as you can and with your fingers as far to the right as practical to give yourself plenty of space. Like correctly lifting a heavy box you want to use good ergonomics to avoid personal injury. From this position you can lift with the strength of your shoulders and upper back, not just your arms. However, if you have the option, placing the patient’s head at the level of the lower tip of your breastbone, or xiphoid process, gives the best mechanical advantage. The illustrations below are from Anyone Can Intubate, 5th Edition.
#Mac blade sizes how to#
For a discussion of how to use a straight blade click here. Straight and curved blades use different techniques for bringing the larynx into view. This article will discuss intubation technique using a curved blade. However, it’s important to use them correctly. Curved blades are commonly used, especially by beginners because they are more forgiving of less than optimal placement and provide more room to pass the tube. What's more, the surfacefinish is not a plating, and therefore does not alter the 304-series stainless steel construction of the blade itself.Direct laryngoscopy depends on being able to bring the 3 axes of the airway into alignment to see the larynx. This creates a surface texture that is approximately four times smoother thancompetitive blades, resulting in an easier-to-clean, stain-resistant laryngoscope blade. The surface finish used on all Welch Allyn blades hasa roughness of just 8 in. Typicallaryngoscope finishes have a surface roughness of 32 in. Welch Allyn's innovative design incorporates an easy-to-remove light pipe that eliminates the difficult-to cleanareas of most competitive laryngoscopes.Īnother feature designed to help improve the cleaning of a Welch Allyn blade is its surface finish. Furthermore, its one-piece blade construction eliminates the potentially weaker soldered or brazed joint. This one-piece construction of the Welch Allyn blade is more robust than the typical competitive product. Welch Allyn's laryngoscope design uses a single piece of 304-series stainless steel as its load-bearing member. Handles feature a knurled finish for a comfortable and secure grip. The Standard Macintosh set includes both of Welch Allyn's cell battery lightweight handles and lightweight blades for maximum maneuverability.īlades are manufactured from one piece stainless steel, and the handles of chrome-plated brass, to assure a lifetime of performance. The blade height assists in intubating patients with limited oral access. The curve is compressed into the vallecula and the blade lifted, indirectly raising the epiglottis. The Macintosh blade design incorporates a gentle, continuous curve from the tip to the proximal end. The Standard Macintosh Laryngoscope Set features the Macintosh blades which are the most popular of all curved-blade styles.