Tools of the Trade: A Novel Bronchoscope With a Built-in Miniature Video Screen, Camera, and Light Source.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a mobile bronchoscope with miniature video screen, light source, and a digital camera.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Inpatient and outpatient tertiary care center.

Interventions: None.

Patients: Twenty patients who were undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic bronchoscopy from May 2009 to July 2009.

Measurements And Main Results: Thirteen patients underwent bronchoscopy via the oral and nasal approach, 2 via a tracheostomy, and 5 via an endotracheal tube or laryngeal mask airway. The scope was also used in the placement of a percutaneous tracheostomy tube and in the operating room for 3 procedural endotracheal intubations. The overall performance of mobile bronchoscope was satisfactory. The majority of difficulties encountered by the bronchoscopists came from the performance of the monitor. The main issue was the need to turn the screen to view the image in an upright position.

Conclusions: The Airway Mobile Scope is well suited for airway examination and interventions often needed in emergency rooms, intensive care units, operating rooms, and office settings. The ease of use of the bronchoscope could be enhanced with small changes to the display of the image on the LCD screen.