r/emergencymedicine • u/Radiant_Alchemist • 22d ago

Advice Will Video Laryngoscopy become the norm?

I love VL. They make standard laryngoscopes look brutal. They're less traumatizing, they give a better view, they have a better first-pass success. Sure you need to learn direct laryngoscopy but let's say in 5 years from now will they be used as routine in OR and ER intubations? Or will they be saved for hard cases?

I've been told that the equipment tends to suck and that we won't have VL as available as in the current department that I'm working so I should stick to Macintosh and McCoy.

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u/bpos95 Paramedic 22d ago

It has become such the norm that it has made its way into being the standard in the EMS world, and we never get anything! There are still those that say they prefer DL over VL, but you can't ignore the data showing our first attempt success rate significantly improved after VL implementation. Granted, it is still a tool that needs to be trained on with consistency for better patient outcomes and less Airway trauma.

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u/thegreatshakes Primary Care Paramedic 22d ago

Reading these comments made me realize my service is getting behind. We still have DL and no plans to switch over to VL.