Ansal Nelliyullathil, Preetha Janardhanan, Radhika Kolathu Parambil
BACKGROUND Supraglottic airways are designed to maintain clear airway which creates a seal around the larynx. I- Gel airway and classical laryngeal mask airway (LMA-Classic) are successfully used in children for elective airway management. Easy placement of airway devices within short time is crucial to prevent airway related complications. The aim of the study is to compare the clinical performance of novel supraglottic airway- the i-gel airway with LMA-classic in terms of ease of insertion, duration of insertion, and complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a prospective randomized single blinded open study. 100 children posted for elective minor surgeries in paediatric operation theatre were enrolled in this study. Children were randomly assigned to size two i-gel group (Group I) and size two LMA group (Group L) of 50 each. All airway devices were inserted by a single junior resident of Anaesthesiology Department who had prior experience of insertion of more than 50 i-gel, and LMA-classic airway. We compared the clinical performance of i-gel airway with LMA- Classic in terms of ease of insertion, duration of insertion and complication. RESULTS Demographic data were comparable in both the groups. i-gel size two airway was easier to insert in comparison to LMA- classic. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02). The duration of insertion was significantly shorter in i-gel airway compared to LMA-Classic which was statistically significant (p=0.0001). The complications related to both airways were less. CONCLUSION i-gel airway is superior to LMA-classic in spontaneously breathing children undergoing elective surgery in terms of ease of insertion and duration of insertion. Both devices were safe and effective in paediatric airway management
