Designing a Next-Generation Airway Visualization System
Improving patient outcomes with the ClearFit Retractable Video Laryngoscope.
When a patient arrives at an emergency room struggling to breathe, physicians often reach for a video laryngoscope to secure an airway. The life-saving medical device contains a small camera inside a tube inserted into a patient’s throat, allowing the doctor to see what’s happening on a video monitor. Medical device manufacturer Verathon has been a leader in the video laryngoscope market for over 20 years. However, steep demand for these tools at the start of the Covid pandemic resulted in a rush of new competitors. To maintain its advantage in an increasingly crowded market, Verathon reached out to IDEO—a previous collaborator on its successful GlideScope Core product—for help pulling away from the pack by defining the industrial design language and ergonomics for its next-generation ClearFit Retractable Video Laryngoscopes.
2 batons fit 13 blades
Two batons (adult and pediatric) give health workers access to Verathon’s full portfolio of 13 video laryngoscope blades
Verathon invented video laryngoscope technology. Twenty years later, the Covid-19 pandemic spurred new competitors' entry into the market.
Cutting-edge technologies like video laryngoscopes are critical—and costly—devices. Hospital systems want to invest in the most comprehensive, flexible, and adaptable tools to improve patient outcomes.
Verathon, the inventor of video laryngoscopes, offers the broadest portfolio of intubation devices on the market. Over the years, its system had expanded to include two different baton sizes (one for kids and one for adults) and a suite of 13 disposable clear plastic camera housings (called “blades”) molded to fit the shape of various throats. This expansive range of options was a point of differentiation for Verathon. More stat sizes equal less intrusive procedures and faster recovery times. But it could also be confusing to users. Verathon wanted IDEO’s help visually and technically uniting all these tools into one product family that worked seamlessly and intuitively together during the most routine and demanding surgical moments.
Since the project occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, the IDEO and Verathon teams used a prototype-led approach to safely gain feedback from anesthesiologists and emergency physicians. Leveraging Verathon’s access to medical professionals, research participants were given prototype kits of various intubation models to simulate surgical use cases and understand ergonomic trade-offs between the different design directions. This process led to design principles clearly defining and highlighting key usability areas, such as device balance, gripping flexibility, and one-wipe cleanability.
Using physician feedback, the team designed two complementary video batons that fit physicians’ diverse working styles and adapted to accommodate the entire range of adult and pediatric blade sizes—13 in all. To prevent accidental disconnection during use, the team also focused on ensuring the various physical connection points between the system parts remained safe and secure under duress. IDEO chose color, materials, and finishes to help providers quickly differentiate parts of the system and delineate reusable components from the single-use laryngoscope blades.
The new ClearFit Retractable Video Laryngoscope hit the market in... [placeholder for impact / current status of the project]
Verathon, the inventor of video laryngoscopes, offers the broadest portfolio of intubation devices on the market. Over the years, its system had expanded to include two different baton sizes (one for kids and one for adults) and a suite of 13 disposable clear plastic camera housings (called “blades”) molded to fit the shape of various throats. This expansive range of options was a point of differentiation for Verathon. More stat sizes equal less intrusive procedures and faster recovery times. But it could also be confusing to users. Verathon wanted IDEO’s help visually and technically uniting all these tools into one product family that worked seamlessly and intuitively together during the most routine and demanding surgical moments.
Since the project occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, the IDEO and Verathon teams used a prototype-led approach to safely gain feedback from anesthesiologists and emergency physicians. Leveraging Verathon’s access to medical professionals, research participants were given prototype kits of various intubation models to simulate surgical use cases and understand ergonomic trade-offs between the different design directions. This process led to design principles clearly defining and highlighting key usability areas, such as device balance, gripping flexibility, and one-wipe cleanability.
Using physician feedback, the team designed two complementary video batons that fit physicians’ diverse working styles and adapted to accommodate the entire range of adult and pediatric blade sizes—13 in all. To prevent accidental disconnection during use, the team also focused on ensuring the various physical connection points between the system parts remained safe and secure under duress. IDEO chose color, materials, and finishes to help providers quickly differentiate parts of the system and delineate reusable components from the single-use laryngoscope blades.
The new ClearFit Retractable Video Laryngoscope hit the market in... [placeholder for impact / current status of the project]
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