At the Mayo Clinic, suspension laryngoscopy is now performed with a side-rail clamp used to anchor the Killian-Lynch suspension laryngoscope (Fig 1). Previously, a wooden board was used.1-4 The disadvantages of the board were lack of portability and difficulty of removal when used in combined procedures necessitating flexion of portions of the table or placement of the patient in the reverse Trendelenburg position.
The clamp, machined out of steel, is fastened to the side rail (Fig 2). A shim can be placed on the clamp to adapt it to the other size of side rail found in our operating suite (Fig 3).