Date Posted: July 20, 2026

Author/s: Zharmaine L. Antenor, MD, Nicole F. Avenido, MD and Kristine Marie C. Ilo-Ramos, MD, DPBA

Background: Recent studies have shown that inexperienced anesthesiologists have a higher first attempt success rate when using a video laryngoscope. However, existing local studies are limited. This study aimed to investigate which method of laryngoscopy would result in a higher success rate among inexperienced clinical clerks.

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare the ease of use of video laryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy by clinical clerks on an intubating mannequin.

Methods: Participants were divided into two groups and were asked to perform either video laryngoscopy or direct laryngoscopy. The time from blade insertion until successful intubation was recorded. They were asked to answer a post-intubation questionnaire where they indicated the difficulty experienced such as head positioning, mouth opening, visualization and tube insertion.

Results: The success rate in the video laryngoscopy group (n=31) were as follows: 86.7% in first attempt, 90.3% in second attempt, and 100.0% in the third attempt. The success rate in the direct laryngoscopy group (n=31) were as follows: 90.3% in first attempt, 93.6% in second attempt, and 90.3% in the third attempt. Although success rate was higher in the video laryngoscopy group, the difference with direct laryngoscopy was not statistically significant (p=0.076). The total duration of orotracheal intubation was shorter in the direct laryngoscopy group than in the video laryngoscopy group in all three attempts. However, the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05).

Keywords: Anesthesiology, intubation, video laryngoscopy, direct laryngoscopy, laryngoscopy