Do you know the Magill clamp? This medical device is used in an emergency during an intubation or to extract a foreign body which obstructs the upper airways. Here is the essential information about this clamp.

Magill forceps are a medical device often used during airway obstruction, to remove the body obstructing the airway. The Magill forceps can also be used to guide the probes during intubation maneuvers.

Composition

Magill’s forceps are made of stainless steel. It is an angled pliers, equipped with circular, grooved and hollowed out jaws. It is characterized by a great length and a double curvature. It looks like scissors. It is available in two sizes (adult and child).

This medical device is used in an emergency during an intubation to allow the passage of air. The Magill forceps are used to direct the endotracheal tube in the larynx and facilitate its direction in the trachea.

It also allows the extraction of object obstructing the upper airways.

Magill’s Pinch : intubation

The Magill forceps are used to perform nasotracheal intubation. It can also be used to pass a nasogastric tube. It is frequently used in neonatal intensive care units.

Magill forceps: unclog the airways

The Magill forceps are used by health professionals (doctors at the hospital, first aid workers) to find a foreign body at the back of the throat which is obstructing the airways.

Public concerned or at risk

The Magill forceps are used for people who need to be intubated or to have a foreign body removed in their throat that is obstructing their airways.

The stages of operation

A laryngoscopy (procedure that allows the doctor to observe the back of the throat, the larynx and the vocal cords) is performed to allow the extraction of a foreign body under visual control using the Magill forceps . The healthcare professional locates the foreign body by direct sight, then takes the forceps with the right hand and inserts it into the mouth, then grasps the foreign body and extracts it.

During nasotracheal intubations, doctors use Magill’s forceps to direct the end of the probe opposite the esophagus into the trachea. They introduce the laryngoscope, locate the vocal cords, then introduce the probe. Then they push the probe into the trachea with Magill’s forceps.

When to use it?

The Magill forceps are used during a tracheal intubation: it allows to direct the probe in the larynx and facilitates its direction in the trachea. It is particularly used in neonatal intensive care units. It can also be used when the airways are blocked to remove the foreign body.

Precautions to take

Magill forceps must be sterilized after use. The recommended sterilization process is autoclave, or moist heat (temperature 134 ° C, pressure 2 bars, duration 18 minutes).

Magill’s forceps take its name from Sir Ivan Whiteside Magill, an Irish anesthesiologist, famous for his contributions to the development of modern anesthesiology. He invented this curved forceps to facilitate the introduction of a probe through the trachea. This doctor participated in the creation of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. Several other medical devices bear his name.

The different models

The Magill forceps are available in different sizes to suit the height of the patient: 15cm (infant), 20cm (child), 24cm (adult).