The influence of the level of experience of the laryngoscopist on the duration of laryngoscopy, the forces exerted on the tongue and on the maxillary incisors during laryngoscopy, were investigated. Five groups (anaesthetists, residents in anaesthesia, nurse anaesthetists, surgeons and medical students), each consisting of 15 individuals, participated in the study. An intubation manikin was used with a laryngoscope modified so that the forces applied during laryngoscopy could be measured. The mean duration of laryngoscopy in these groups was 23.4 sec, 17.6 sec, 27.1 sec, 26.8 sec and 42.7 sec, respectively. The maximally applied forces on the tongue were 71.7 N, 60.5 N, 65.9 N, 74.2 N and 69.7 N, respectively. The maximally applied forces on the maxillary incisors were 49.9 N, 36.3 N, 41.1 N, 58.3 N and 53.9 N, respectively. These results indicate the level of experience has a significant influence on the duration of laryngoscopy but seems to have little influence on the forces applied to the tongue and the maxillary incisors.RésuméCette étude recherche l’influence du degré d’expérience du laryngoscopiste sur la durée de la laryngoscopie, sur la force exercée sur la langue et sur les incisives maxillaires au cours de la laryngoscopie. Cinq groupes de 15 personnes chacun participent à l’étude: anesthésistes, résidents en anesthésie, infirmières anesthésistes, chirurgiens et étudiants en médecine. Un mannequin de pratique est utilisé avec un laryngoscope modifié pour mesurer la force appliquée. La durée moyenne de la laryngoscopie est respectivement de 23,4 sec, 17,6 sec, 27,1 sec, 26,8 sec et 42,7 sec. La force maximale exercée sur la langue est de 71,7 N, 60,5 N, 65,9 N, 74,2 N et 69,7 N respectivement. La force maximale exercée sur les incisives est de 49,9 N, 36,3 N, 41,1 N, 58,3 N et 53,9 N, respectivement. Ces résultats montrent que le degré d’expérience a une influence significative sur la durée de la laryngoscopie, mais peu d’influence sur la force exercée sur la langue et les incisives.
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