The Truview blade facilitates a view of the vocal cords by indirect laryngoscopy. We prospectively compared the view obtained at laryngoscopy and intubating conditions of Truview (Group 1) or Macintosh (Group 2) blades in 170 patients who were scheduled to undergo general anaesthesia. We studied pre-operative airway evaluation, laryngoscopic view, duration of intubation, maximal force applied during intubation, anaesthetist's estimation of intubation effort on a 1-3 scale, bleeding, teeth and soft tissue damage, and postoperative stridor and hoarseness. The results demonstrated that, whilst the Truview produced a better laryngoscopic view and less maximal force applied during intubation, the duration of intubation was longer. No significant difference was found in the anaesthetist's estimation of intubation effort, tooth damage or postoperative stridor and hoarseness. Significantly fewer patients suffered bleeding and soft tissue damage following intubation with the Truview than with the Macintosh blade. The Truview blade is a useful option for tracheal intubation in patients with normal and anticipated difficult airways.