Intubation without use of stylet for McGrath videolaryngoscopy in patients with expected normal airway: A randomized noninferiority trial

BACKGROUND: During McGrath videolaryngoscope (VL) intubation, a styletted endotracheal tube maintaining an upward distal tip angle is recommended by some manufacturers. However, a styletted endotracheal tube can elicit rare but potentially serious complications. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that a nonstyletted tube with exaggerated curvature would be noninferior to a styletted tube for orotracheal intubation using McGrath VL in patients with expected normal airway, by comparing the time to intubation and ease of intubation. METHODS: One hundred forty patients, ages 19 to 70 years (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I–II), undergoing tracheal intubation for elective surgery were randomly allocated to the nonstylet group (n = 70) or the stylet group (n = 70). Anesthesia induction consisted of propofol, remifentanil, and rocuronium. The primary outcome was time to intubation assessed by a blind observer. Cormack and Lehane glottic grade, easy of intubation, and intubation difficulty score (IDS) were also assessed. RESULTS: Median time to intubation [interquartile range] was not different between the nonstylet group and the stylet group (26 [24–32.5] s vs 27 [25–31] s, P = 0.937). There was no significant in median IDS between the nonstylet group and the stylet group (P = 0.695). CONCLUSION: This study shows that a nonstyletted endotracheal tube with exaggerated curvature has a similar performance to a styletted tube with a hockey-stick curvature during intubation using McGrath VL regarding time taken to successful intubation and easiness of intubation.