Marquette General Foundation

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MGHS ED obtains new device to view patient airways

Foundation gifts make GlideScope possible

The Emergency Department at Marquette General is sporting a new high-resolution video camera that, in many cases, provides physicians an unobstructed view of the vocal cords.

With philanthropic gifts to the Marquette General Foundation, the ED purchased a GlideScope, valued at approximately $10,000.

Dr. Richard Tomacari, an Emergency Department physician at Marquette General Hospital, attempts to intubate a patient using the new GlideScope in the ED. The new device, at left, is valued at more than $10,000. The purchase was made possible through gifts to the Marquette General Foundation.

MGHS ED physician Dr. David Grant said the new GlideScope, which complements older technology, is a welcome addition to the department. “We’re able to look down a patient’s airway and see pretty clearly,” Dr. Grant said. “It’s a better learning tool. It’s very safe.”

The technology is designed for difficult and unpredictable airways. It provides physicians a clear, real-time view of a patient's airway. Intubation is often used in emergency medicine when a patient is having difficultly breathing.

The ED, Dr. Grant said, intubates patients about three to five times a week. “The technology is amazing. It is very durable,” he said. The camera is embedded within the GlideScope blade. Clear images are captured by the camera and displayed on an adjacent monitor screen. An LED light source, mounted beside the camera, provides continuous illumination during the intubation. It works very well with patients who have challenging airways (inability for physicians to view the vocal chords on direct view). It also has an anti-fogging heat lamp to improve the view.