IDC-Designed Laryngoscope Advances Anaesthesia
Leading product design agency Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC), has completed a project to develop a groundbreaking laryngoscope for the Venner Group. The device, which is used during anaesthesia to introduce an endotracheal tube, is the first of its kind to offer both standard, Mac3 and Mac4, as well as the Difficult Airway Blades (DAB). The DAB offers manoeuvrability and both excellent viewing and exact positioning of the endotracheal tube through the vocal chords in cases where the anatomy would otherwise make intubation difficult. IDC was tasked to work alongside Venner clinicians through all the design phases; from concept through to production, including electronics, compliance and testing.
"The Venner A.P. Advance Video Laryngoscope considerably eases tracheal intubation during general anaesthesia or CPR, whilst reducing patient trauma, even in the most critical cases. A result of extensive user research and testing, the product works both with live video and, uniquely, as a traditional laryngoscope without the video display," explains Marko Plevnik, Industrial Designer at IDC. "Communicating precision and reliability, medical grade elastomer grips wrap around a stainless steel chassis forming a sophisticated, comfortable handle. A removable camera facilitates easy cleaning and a range of single use polycarbonate blades eliminate contamination. Innovative, robust and portable, it fits into the routine of every trained anaesthetist the world over," he adds explaining the unique qualities of the laryngoscope.
IDC's design team spent considerable time observing and researching the different types of laryngoscopes in use. This research identified a gap in capabilities of instruments, whereby some laryngoscopes were good for viewing the vocal chords and some good at positioning the tracheal tube, but none were capable of achieving both of these proficiently at the same time. The Venner Group realised the potential to bridge the gap between these capabilities and create a product with outstanding function as well as form.
Further research and feedback from the clinicians also indicated that the handle design of existing laryngoscopes was unnecessarily bulky; leading to manoeuvrability issues, which occasionally resulted in dental damage. IDC used this research as a basis for the new laryngoscope and carried out extensive testing during development before selecting the final design. Venner was keen to have a laryngoscope with the latest technological advancements on board and IDC therefore integrated a leading edge miniature video camera and a high-quality display in the design. The resulting system is extremely intuitive; enabling an anaesthetist to view the larynx on the viewer display in the same position as the actual anatomy, preserving the user's natural hand to eye co-ordination whilst manipulating either the tracheal tube or the device itself. The display can also be output to a large screen and images and video can be captured to support training exercises.
This new laryngoscope is also leading the laryngoscope device market by being able to use standard and difficult airway intubation blades. It uses single-use anti-fog, disposable blades; this is a major advantage, which means it can be used in several different scenarios, including patients who present challenging airways or in emergencies.
According to Brian Gough, IDC's Projects Director, "The new laryngoscope has obtained outstanding feedback following studies of its use by medical staff. By ensuring the views and expertise of clinicians formed a core part of the development, we have created a device which not only delivers the benefits for patients, but is also more convenient and easy to use for staff."
