Intra`s Laryngoscope Video Adapter Offers a Better Look Down

When you’re developing a new product for the EMS market, it makes sense to get input from EMS providers. So when Cincinnati-based Intra, which makes advanced imaging products for medical uses, set out to develop its Swift 3000 laryngoscope video adapter, it turned to some local experts with the Blue Ash Fire Department.

“They approached us to get our opinion on what was out there and what kind of avenues to possibly look at,” says Assistant Chief Chris Theders. “We did almost like market-testing for them—they’d come to us with a demo unit and give a presentation, and we’d let all three crews look at it, then come back with, ‘This will work’ or ‘This won’t work.’ They wanted to talk to people in the field, because we’re the ones who are going to use it on a daily basis.”

The resulting product was solid enough that Blue Ash put one on both of its first-out units to facilitate intubations. The Swift 3000 converts a traditional laryngoscope into an advanced ETI tool that delivers images, the company says, comparable to the stationary endoscopic equipment of hospital ORs.

The Swift 3000’s video probe attaches to the laryngoscope blade with a simple clip and delivers a 100º view with a depth of field up to 300 mm. It has its own single white LED and a convection heating system to prevent fogging. The monitor weighs less than 2 oz. and provides a 2.5-inch display, and can be mounted on the scope handle or an included wristband.
Blue Ash providers found the system easy to use, Theders says, and no more time-consuming than a normal intubation.

“When you practice with it, you really start to get a feel for what you’re looking at,” he says. “Everybody’s been very excited about it. It’s another tool we can have available for difficult intubations or difficult lighting, and I think it probably lets us get a higher percentage of quality intubations.”

For more, visit www.intra-llc.com.