Hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation with Bonfils compared to C-MAC videolaryngoscope: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Direct laryngoscopy (DL) produce tachycardia and hypertension that could be fatal in a patient with a brain injury. Bonfils fiberscope and C-MAC videolaryngoscope are associated with little hemodynamic instability compared to DL. Scientific evidence comparing these two alternatives does not exist. We conducted this study to determine the hemodynamic effects of Bonfils compared to C-MAC in patients undergoing elective surgery. METHODS: Fifty (50) patients listed for elective surgery were randomly assigned to endotracheal intubation with Bonfils or C-MAC. After a standardized induction, intubation was done via the retromolar approach (Bonfils group) or via videolaryngoscopy (C-MAC group). A research assistant, who was not blinded to the intervention, recorded heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure [MAP]) at induction and at every minute during the 5 min post intubation. The primary outcome was the hemodynamic response to intubation, as verified every minute for the first 5 min compared to baseline value. RESULTS: After randomization, the two groups were comparable except for ASA I/II ratio which was slightly higher in the C-MAC group (p = 0.046). Heart rate (p = 0.40) and MAP (p = 0.30) were comparable between the two groups within 5 min post intubation. Intubation time was shorter with C-MAC than with Bonfils (30 ± 2 s vs 38 ± 2 s; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation using the Bonfils fiberscope is comparable to the C-MAC videolaryngoscope among patients scheduled for an elective surgery. In light of these findings, using either technique appears to be a reasonable course of action. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN #34923, retrospectively registered, 26/03/2018. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12871-018-0592-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.