Use of Video Laryngoscopy and Camera Phones to Communicate Progression of Laryngeal Edema in Assessing for Extubation

Video laryngoscopy has demonstrated utility in airway management. For the present case series, we report the use of video laryngoscopy to evaluate the airway of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients, as a means to reduce the risk of immediate postextubation stridor by assessing the degree of laryngeal edema. We also describe the use of cellular phone cameras to document and communicate airway edema in using video laryngoscopy for the patients' medical records. We found video laryngoscopy to be an effective method of assessing airway edema, and cellular phone cameras were useful for recording and documenting video laryngoscopy images for patients' medical records.