Innovation drives the market, and from this point of view, the CoPilot VL+ is leading the way for Anesthesiologists, Emergency Medicine, EMS, and MediVac personnel everywhere. Enter COVID-19, and this is a perfect time for innovation to help provide increased patient care & safety, while at the same time allowing clinicians to remain at a safe distance.
1st Generation Video Laryngoscopes hit the market back in 2008ish, with the GlideScope leading the charge. No way to sugar coat it, it’s a nice piece of equipment. It better be, considering its $15,000 price tag. Unfortunately, most EMS can’t afford it, and busy Emergency Departments and Operating Rooms have to play hide-n-seek trying to find it when needed (again, largely due to cost).
This is where I think the CoPilot VL+ has a distinct advantage to shake up the video laryngoscope space. It has a great design, extreme portability, unique disposables, and the ability to place a unit in EVERY room so it is available on demand.
- Pricing
- You can buy (roughly) 4-5 CoPilot VL+ for the same price as one GlideScope
- The disposable sheaths are another 30%-50% savings in most cases
- The other accessories (bougie, rigid stylet, etc) are priced right
- Location:
- Made in the USA
- Materials, production, assembly are not in Asia
- Less supply chain disruption risks
- Quality:
- Color display
- Durable construction
- Reliable
- Safety:
- Physician can reduce risk related to potential COVID exposure
- No need to remove c-collar, if patient’s mouth is available to accept scope
- No lifting of the scope, which can stretch patient’s anatomy
- Less increases in vagal tone
- Integrated bougie port
- Disposable sheaths are ejected with push of a button, for easy disposal into trash
- Disposable sheaths allow for eliminating risks of cross contamination
- Easily wiped down and cleaned between uses
- Near immediate ‘Powered On’ availability (drop the blade = automatic activation)
- Affordable video laryngoscopy for every patient, every time
- Available in all rooms, all the time, for use by all airway professionals
OK, Ok, Ok… what’s the catch? Why doesn’t everyone use the CoPilot VL+? Well, in most cases, it is the simple fact that most people haven’t seen it before, and don’t even know it is an option. Besides that, the list is fairly short. If they have seen it, it was the Gen 1 with a much smaller screen, and fairly poor video quality.
- Small company, limited marketing
- Currently, the laryngoscope sheaths are only available in two sizes (#3 & #4)
- It’s rumored other sizes will be available in early 2021
- Institutional contracts (considering price sensitivity, this should be non-issue nowadays)
If your department is considering video laryngoscopes, or looking for ways to improve patient care and safety, the CoPilot VL+ is a VERY viable option for consideration. It ranks highest on our list of choices, and we believe it will continue to grow in terms of usage, and notoriety.