Comparison of three supraglottic airway devices for blind tracheal intubation by novice practitioners: A randomized manikin study
Osman Sonmez1
, Nese Colak2, Basak Bayram2, Suleyman Gokhan Kara3, Sebnem Sakar Halac4
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Tire State Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
2Department of Emergency Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
3Department of Emergency Medicine, Eskisehir City Hospital, Eskisehir, Turkey
4Department of Emergency Medicine, Agri Education and Research Hospital, Agri, Turkey
Keywords: Airway management supraglottic airway devices, Ambu Aura-i, Cookgas Air-Q, endotracheal intubation, laryngeal mask, laryngeal mask airway, LMA Fastrach
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Supraglottic airway (SGA) devices are good alternatives for failed intubations or difficult airways. The aim of our study was to compare the success of intubation with SGA devices such as LMA Fastrach® (LMA Fastrach), Ambu Aura-i ® (Aura-i), and Cookgas Air-Q® (Air-Q) in an airway manikin by novice practitioners.
METHODS: This study was conducted in a randomized crossover design using a manikin model. Following training on the equipment used, 36 6th-year medical students were randomized into six groups. Participants performed three stages of intubation as follows: the first stage (1S) as SGA insertion, the second stage (2S) as intubation through the SGA, and the third stage (3S) as the removal of the SGA over the intubation tube. The primary outcomes were intubation success and duration.
RESULTS: The successful intubation rate (Stage 1S + 2S + 3S) was 100% for LMA Fastrach and Air-Q and 83.3% for Aura-i (P = 0.002). The median time to intubation was 54.4 s, 55.8 s, and 58.7 s for LMA Fastrach, Aura-i, and Air-Q, respectively (P = 0.794).
CONCLUSION: Our study shows that novice practitioners can proficiently utilize LMA Fastrach, Air-Q, and Aura-i as SGAs in airway management. LMA Fastrach and Air-Q are more successful for endotracheal intubation than Aura-i. While the successful intubation time with SGA is similar for all three devices, the successful SGA insertion time is shorter with LMA Fastrach and Aura-i compared to Air-Q. Practitioners preferred LMA Fastrach and Air-Q more than Aura-i.
How to cite this article: Sonmez O, Colak N, Bayram B, Kara SG, Halac SS. Comparison of three supraglottic airway devices for blind tracheal intubation by novice practitioners: A randomized manikin study. Turk J Emerg Med 2024;24:97-102.
The approval of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Studies of Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine (date: 31.07.2019, file number: 4906‑GOA, and decision number: 2019/19‑37) was obtained for the study.
Conceptualization – OS, NC, BB; Data curation – OS, SGK, SSH; Formal analysis – NC,BB; Funding acquisition - OS; Methodology – OS, NC, BB; Project administration – OS, SGK, SSH; Resources – NC, BB; Software – SGK, OS; Supervision –.NC, BB, OS; Validation – OS, SGK; Visualization – SGK; Writing – original draft – OS,NC, BB, SGK,SSH; Writing – review & editing- OS, NC.
None declared.
None.