APPRAISAL OF THE PCV, A LARYNGOSCOPE FOR DIFFICULT ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION

The PCV (Piquet-Crinquette-Vilette) laryngoscope has been designed for use in difficult endotracheal intubation in the adult. Its blade, 170 mm long, is curved, narrow (12 mm internal diameter) and semicircular in cross-section, like a closed C. An 8 mm endotracheal tube can be pushed through this blade. There is a cold light source. The use of this blade requires a teeth protector. The epiglottis will be lifted directly, and the blade will be moved into the vestibule, stopping short of the vocal cords. The endotracheal tube will then be introduced into the laryngoscope blade which guides it in between the cords. Once the tube has been checked to be within the trachea, the laryngoscope is removed by sliding the blade backwards over the tube. The PCV may be introduced into the mouth either on the right, or on the left, or bebind the molar teeth, or between two teeth. It can held with the handle horizontal in case of a prominent sternum. The limits of this tool are a mouth opening of less then 20 mm, and some rare predictable difficulties which require an X-ray assessment to determine the best intubation technique to be used. Of 115 patients with a predicted difficult endotracheal intubation, fifty were intubated with the PCV without any failures. Also, twenty-five patients, out of thirty, were successfully intubated with the PCV after an attempt with a MacIntosh blade had failed. Of these five failures, one was never intubated by any technique whatsoever, two were intubated by fibroscopy and two by the ENT surgeon.