Keeping a patient's airways clear is vital during anaesthesia or emergency treatment. Usually doctors use a laryngoscope, to assist placing a flexible tube through the vocal cords and into the windpipe. Laryngoscope design has changed little since the 1940s. Great skill is needed to use them safely and they can damage patients' teeth, vocal cords and soft tissue.

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Matt McGrath, a former John Logie Baird Young Innovator of the Year, founded Aircraft Medical Ltd in 2001, having started designing his laryngoscope two years earlier as part of his degree course. With the support of a Wellcome Trust Translation Award, his company developed Mk 4 and Mk 5 prototypes, which led to the 2006 launch of the McGrath® Series 5 laryngoscope.

Thanks to an integrated camera and screen, the portable battery-powered McGrath® Series 5 provides a clearer view of the airway. As a result, it is easier to manoeuvre – good for patient and for doctor. The laryngoscope is size-adjustable and also features disposable blades to prevent cross-infection between patients.

The McGrath® laryngoscope has been described as the "most significant advancement in laryngoscope design since the 1940s" (Dr Gary Enever of the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle). In a recent study on 150 patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the McGrath® demonstrated 94 per cent grade 1 views, whereas current equipment achieves under 70 per cent.

LMA North America has been appointed exclusive distributor in the USA, in a five-year contract with potential value of US$50 million to Aircraft Medical. With laryngoscopes being used in 60 million anaesthetisations each year, the product has a chance of making a significant impact on health.

External links

• Shippey B et al. Rapid sequence intubation using the McGrath videolaryngoscope. Eur J Emerg Med 2006;13(5):A12–13.