An analysis of patents for anesthetic laryngoscopes

The anesthetic laryngoscope is one of the most popular medical tools for obtaining a clear view of the larynx and facilitates tracheal intubation. The number of anesthetic laryngoscope patents, coming mainly from the anesthesiologists, has rapidly increased. Each product has a specialized use for particular patients. However, it is unclear to what extent anesthetic laryngoscopy gained acceptance in operating theaters. By retrieving patent data for more than 90 countries from the Online Retrieval of Bibliographic Information Time-share (ORBIT) system, we reviewed the anesthetic laryngoscope patent literature published before July 6, 2015, and manually analyzed patent status, general development trends, areas of competition, technology patentees, and technology classifications. The study showed that the number of anesthetic laryngoscope patent applications has stayed at a high level in the last decade. Most patent activity was carried out in the USA, with China and a number of European countries trailing behind. In addition, the patent analysis provided an opportunity to understand the trends in the development of anesthetic laryngoscope technology, to identify shortcomings in clinical use of anesthetic laryngoscopes, to assist medical manufacturing specialists in improving the design and products, and to suggest to anesthesiologists modifications of the clinical signs of difficult tracheal intubation based on the new commercial anesthetic laryngoscopes applied in the front-line.