Airtraq

Airtraq was developed by Pedra A. Gandarias and produced and marketed by Prodol Meditec S.A., Vizcaya, Spain. The standard Airtraq is a disposable article with an eyepiece optic, while the AirtraqAvant allows re-use of the optical system as well as external video monitoring and recording. The Airtraq blade is anatomically formed, with a battery-powered light source at the tip of the blade. The battery power reserve is sufficient to power the bulb for 90 minutes, according to the product information. The light bulb is designed to reach an operating temperature of 40 °C in order to suppress fogging of the optical system. The visual image is transmitted from a lens at the distal tip of the blade to the optical eyepiece (or monitor) via a series of prisms and mirrors. Apart from the integrated optical system, the handle and blade of the Airtraq laryngoscope also contain a channel for the placement and insertion of the endotracheal tube.