Endotracheal intubation involving conventional laryngoscopy elicits a haemodynamic response associated with increased heart and blood pressure. The study was aimed to see if video laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation has any advantages over conventional laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in patients with coronary artery disease. Thirty patients suffering from coronary artery disease scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were studied. The patients were randomly allocated to undergo either conventional laryngoscopy (group A) or video laryngoscopy (group B). The time taken to perform endotracheal intubation and haemodynamic changes associated with intubation were noted in both the groups at different time points. The duration of laryngoscopy and intubation was significantly longer in group B (video laryngoscopy) when compared to group A patients. However, haemodynamic changes were no different between the groups. There were no events of myocardial ischaemia as monitored by surface electrocardiography during the study period in either of the groups. In conclusion, video laryngoscopy did not provide any benefit in terms of haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation in patients undergoing primary CABG with a Mallampatti grade of <2.

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Central venous pressure monitoring line insertion is routine prior to the conduct of cardiac surgery, and in rare instances, malposition can contribute to operative complications. We describe here how a central venous line lying in the right atrium became caught in a left atrial (LA) closure suture during a mitral valve replacement. The opening of the LA suture line is highly unsafe without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) because of the possibility of systemic air embolism, but by employing an ingenious method of suturing over and unravelling the continuous sutures closing the left atrium, it was possible to surgically retrieve it without the use of a CPB.

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