Macintosh Laryngoscope (prototype) | 合法醫療器材資訊網

Thestraightbladeswereusedtodirectlyholdtheepiglottis1.Macintosh'scurvedbladeworksdifferently:itindirectlyopenstheepiglottisbyapplyingpressureto ...

For surgeries that require general anesthesia, anesthesiologists often need to insert a plastic tube into a patient’s trachea (wind pipe) to maintain an open airway and assist breathing. To do this they use a number of tools, including a laryngoscope. A laryngoscope is an instrument used to view the larynx (voice box), which is the opening to the trachea and lungs. It consists of a “blade,” which goes into the patient’s mouth, and a handle. This is a prototype of the curved laryngoscope blade developed by Sir Robert Macintosh (1897-1989) and his skilled technician, Mr. Richard Salt.

Prior to 1943 when Macintosh introduced his curved blade, most laryngoscope blades were long and straight. The straight blades were used to directly hold the epiglottis1. Macintosh’s curved blade works differently: it indirectly opens the epiglottis by applying pressure to a space bet...