Improvised Varanasi Video Laryngoscope (IVL, Mar 2026)

Peer-reviewed scientific reports indicate the superiority of video laryngoscopy over direct laryngoscopy for endotracheal intubation. Presently, commercially available video laryngoscopes are very expensive, and blade designs are not standardized, unlike the McIntosh blade used in direct laryngoscopy. There is no open-source video laryngoscope design that can be built with relatively low-cost components available to civilian consumers using low-to-moderate crafting skills. The Improvised Varanasi Video Laryngoscope (IVL) is built using an IPX6 standard water-proof multi USB HD snake camera (endoscope camera / borescope camera) of 5.5 mm outer diameter, focal distance 20 to 80 mm, with inbuilt LED light, rigidly mounted on standard reusable Macintosh blades no. 4 and blade no. 3. The handle was that of a standard light bulb laryngoscope. All the materials and tools used in this project are commercially available on leading online shopping platforms. The final configuration was mechanically tested with 60 consecutive manikin laryngoscopy and intubation over 4 hours. No rotational, axial, or torsional displacement was observed. The camera did not obstruct bougie or ETT passage along the convex curvature of the tongue/spatula of the laryngoscope blade.