Video laryngoscope lands international distribution deal
18 October 2011
The deal, with leading provider of healthcare products Covidien, will see the latest product marketed in the USA, the UK, Japan, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.
Laryngoscopes are used by doctors to assist in placing a flexible tube into a patient's airways, through the vocal cords and into the windpipe, to support breathing under anaesthesia. Great skill is needed to use them safely as they can damage teeth, vocal cords and soft tissue.
Originally developed with support from a Wellcome Trust Translation Award, the video laryngoscope integrates a camera and screen in a handheld device to help doctors to insert the tubes quickly and safely. The fully portable design requires no additional training and offers several advantages over the conventional laryngoscope, which requires the doctor to insert the tube into the airway without a clear line of sight to the vocal cords.
The latest model, the McGRATH® MAC, is specifically designed for routine clinical use and supports the existing McGRATH® Series 5 product, which is designed for difficult airway management.
Ted Bianco, Director of Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust, said: "The original video laryngoscope was designed to facilitate difficult intubations. But elegant solutions, like the McGrath Series 5, tend to create a demand for wider application of the technology. It is good to see Aircraft Medical responding to the interest from its customers for a video laryngoscope designed to be the workhorse of routine intubations. I look forward to seeing the McGrath® MAC becoming a ubiquitous tool of the trade."
Image: Matt McGrath holding the McGrath® Series 5. Credit: Wellcome Images.
