A comparison of the i‐gel™ with the LMA‐Unique™ in non‐paralysed anaesthetised adult patients

Abstract

SummaryThis study assessed two disposable devices; the newly developed supraglottic airway device i-gel TM and the LMA-Unique TM in routine clinical practice. Eighty patients (ASA 1-3) undergoing minor routine gynaecologic surgery were randomly allocated to have an i-gel (n = 40) or LMA-Unique (n = 40) inserted. Oxygen saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide, tidal volume and peak airway pressure were recorded, as well as time of insertion, airway leak pressure, postoperative sore-throat, dysphonia and dysphagia for each device. Time of insertion was comparable with the i-gel and LMA-Unique. There was no failure in the i-gel group and one failure in the LMA-Unique group. Ventilation and oxygenation were similar between devices. Mean airway pressure was comparable with both devices, whereas airway leak pressure was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in the i-gel group (mean 29 cmH 2 O, range 24-40) compared with the LMA-Unique group (mean 18 cmH 2 O, range 6-30). Fibreoptic score of the position of the devices was significantly better in the i-gel group. Post-operative sore-throat and dysphagia were comparable with both devices. Both devices appeared to be simple alternatives to secure the airway. Significantly higher airway leak pressure suggests that the i-gel may be advantageous in this respect.

Clinical Comparison of I-Gel Supraglottic Airway Device and Cuffed Endotracheal Tube for Pressure-Controlled Ventilation During Routine Surgical Procedures

“…The i-gel has been studied and shown to have high insertion success rate and low device failures under both spontaneous and controlled ventilation (7,(14)(15)(16)(17). Various studies have reported a median insertion time for the i-gel ranging from 5 to 15 sec (14,16,18).…”

“…Various studies have reported a median insertion time for the i-gel ranging from 5 to 15 sec (14,16,18).…”

I-Gel(tm) vs. Auraonce(tm) Laryngeal Mask for General Anaesthesia With Controlled Ventilation in Paralyzed Patients

“…First time success rates for the i-gel TM found in our study was 85.6% which is lower than the results published in recent cohorts. The i-gel was inserted in several studies on the first attempt in more than 90% of patients 1,2,[13][14][15] . This finding could have been caused by an initial relative lack of experience in some operators.…”

Comparison of I-gel with Baska Mask Airway for Controlled Ventilation in Obese Patients Undergoing Ambulatory Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial

“…These studies showed that the leak pressures were higher with I-gel than with the other airway devices [14,15,16]. Not only the insertion times were lower but also the ease of insertion of the I-gel was better than those of the LMA-Unique in lean patients [14,16].…”