Objective:

Recently, there has been a trend favouring the use of supraglottic airway devices over endotracheal tubes (ETT) during short surgical procedures. In this study, we are going to assess the suitability of one such supraglottic airway device, i-gel, for pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) during routine surgical procedures.

Methods:

The airway management for 60 patients was done with either i-gel (Group I) or cuffed tracheal tube (Group E) for this prospective, randomised, double-blinded study. Insertion time, number of attempts, ease of insertion and haemodynamic monitoring were recorded before, during and after insertion of these devices. Airway leak tests, leak volume and leak fraction were measured at 15, 20 and 25 cm H2 O PCV, and pharyngolaryngeal morbidity was evaluated postoperatively.

Results:

I-gel is easier to insert than a tracheal tube (p=0.0056). The increase in heart rate and MAP was higher following insertion of tracheal tube in the first few minutes (p<0.001) and subsequently became comparable between the two groups. The leak volume and leak fraction between the two groups were comparable at 15 cm H2 O PCV, but significant difference was seen at 20 and 25 H2 O PCV between the two groups (p=0.232, p<0.001, p<0.001). Thirty minutes later, the leak volume and leak fraction between groups were comparable at 15 cm H2 O PCV (p=0.495, p=0.104) but not at 20 and 25 H2 O PCV (p<0.001, p<0.001). Pharyngolaryngeal morbidity was significantly lesser in the i-gel group.

Conclusion:

I-gel provides a reasonable alternative to cuffed ETT for pressure-controlled ventilation provided the pressures can be limited to 15 to 20 cm H2 O.

Keywords: I-gel, pressure-controlled ventilation, supraglottic airway devices