Effect of Early Supraglottic Airway Device Insertion on Chest Compression Fraction during Simulated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Randomised Controlled Trial

Early insertion of a supraglottic airway (SGA) device could improve chest compression fraction by allowing providers to perform continuous chest compressions or by shortening the interruptions needed to deliver ventilations. SGA devices do not require the same expertise as endotracheal intubation. This study aimed to determine whether the immediate insertion of an i-gel® while providing continuous chest compressions with asynchronous ventilations could generate higher CCFs than the standard 30:2 approach using a face-mask in a simulation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A multicentre, parallel, randomised, superiority, simulation study was carried out. The primary outcome was the difference in CCF during the first two minutes of resuscitation. Overall and per-cycle CCF quality of compressions and ventilations parameters were also compared. Among thirteen teams of two participants, the early insertion of an i-gel® resulted in higher CCFs during the first two minutes (89.0% vs. 83.6%, p = 0.001). Overall and per-cycle CCF were consistently higher in the i-gel® group, even after the 30:2 alternation had been resumed. In the i-gel® group, ventilation parameters were enhanced, but compressions were significantly shallower (4.6 cm vs. 5.2 cm, p = 0.007). This latter issue must be addressed before clinical trials can be considered.

Airway Management and Anesthesia for Tracheal Resection in a 68-Year-Old: 3 Airways for the Price of 1

Subglottic tracheal stenosis can occur after prolonged intubation or tracheostomy. This stenosis can become severe and causes symptoms refractory to endoscopic interventions that require tracheal resection. This surgery presents unique anesthetic issues due to the airway anatomy, physiology, and shared airway management with the surgical team. We present the case of a 68-year-old patient who underwent cervical tracheal resection and reconstruction due to persistent symptoms despite balloon dilation and medical management with oxygen and heliox. Our anesthesia management involved several techniques that allowed the safe completion of this procedure. Firstly, we started the airway management with a combined size 4 Ambu® AuraStraight™ (Denmark) supraglottic airway device and flexible bronchoscopy to allow localization of the stenosis and dilation before endotracheal tube (ETT) placement. The conventional approach for this endoscopic evaluation phase is to use rigid bronchoscopy. Secondly, we used prior CT images to help guide our ETT tube size selection. Thirdly, we used total intravenous anesthesia during most of the procedure because of the intermittent apnea necessary to complete the tracheal resection. Lastly, extubation had to be done very carefully to minimize excessive patient neck movement and avoid any reintubation. Both could lead to a catastrophe with the newly reconstructed trachea.

A Simple Method To Repair A Supraglottic Airway Device

Background: During the perioperative period or while in the intensive care unit, the inflation line is often cut accidentally during medical procedures or is damaged. As a result, it is not uncommon for a cuff leak to result in inadequate ventilation for the patient. The risk of using endotracheal tubes (ETTs) for secondary intubation is great, increasing the probability of respiratory tract infection and injury and even causing death in severe cases. The best method is to repair the damaged ETT to avoid secondary intubation and to ensure the safety of patients. Therefore, we recommend a practical and straightforward method to repair damage to the line or valve assembly of an endotracheal tube(ETT) and laryngeal mask airway (LMA).Methods: The distal end of a 22G vein (IV) catheter was inserted into the broken end of the inflation line. After insertion, the internal tube was withdrawn 1 mm to restore the inflation line. After 15 hours, the repaired ETT/LMA devices were tested for air leakage by measuring the pressure and load-bearing tension of the inflation line.Results: There was no difference in ETTs pressure between five intact ETTs and five repaired ETTs (Group A, ETT, mean difference = 0.2 cmH2O; 95% confidence interval 1.78 to 2.12 cmH2O; P = 0.82). When the cuff expanded to 120 cm H2O, there was no air leakage in the five ETTs after repair, and the tensile strength of the inflation line of the repaired ETTs in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (each n = 5; mean difference = 33.3N; 95% confidence interval, 27.5 to 39.1N; P <0.001). There was no difference in LMAs pressure (Group B, LMAs, mean difference = 0.4 cmH2O; 95% confidence interval: -1.8 to −2.6 cmH2O; P = 0.67). When the cuff was expanded to 120 cmH2O, there was no air leakage from the five repaired LMAs. The tensile strength of the inflation line of the repaired LMAs in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (n = 5; mean difference = −10; 95% confidence interval: −14 to −5.8 N; P = 0.001).Conclusion: When the ETT, LMA inflation line, or valve assembly is damaged or accidentally broken, an IV catheter can be directly inserted into the inflation line to quickly and effectively repair it. It is a safe and effective emergency remedial measure, which can be widely used in the clinic.

Airway Management Failure after Delayed Extubation in a Patient with Oral Malignant Melanoma Who Underwent Partial Mandibulectomy and Reconstruction with a Free Flap

Maxillofacial surgery may cause severe complications in perioperative airway management. We report a case of failed airway management in a patient who underwent segmental mandibulectomy, radical neck dissection, and reconstruction with a free flap. The patient was extubated approximately 36 hours after surgery. Approximately 7 hours after extubation, the patient complained of dyspnoea, and respiratory failure followed. Bag-mask ventilation, direct laryngoscopy, video laryngoscopy, and supraglottic airway access were ineffective. The surgical airway was secured with an emergency tracheostomy while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, the patient experienced permanent hypoxic brain damage. The airway of patients with oral cancer may be compromised postoperatively due to surgical trauma and bulky flap reconstruction. Patients should be closely monitored during the postoperative period to prevent airway failure. Early diagnosis and airway management before airway failure occurs are important. Medical staff should be aware of airway management algorithms, be trained to perform difficult airway management, and have the required equipment readily available.

To compare the frequency of postoperative sore throat with I-gel versus laryngeal mask airway in patients

Background: In case of general anesthesia, airway maintenance along with least complications is the most important goal of team of anesthesiologists. In case of clinical practice, the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) devices have superiority in managing supraglottic airway. Recently i-gel airway has been introduced as supraglottic airway equipment (disposable). Aim: To make comparison between laryngeal mask and I-gel with respect to postoperative complication of sore throat in case of patients who were given general anesthesia. Study design: Randomized trial Setting: Anesthesia Department Study duration: 6 after synopsis approval in total 6months of duration Methods: Candidates were divided randomly divided into two groups. In case of members of group A, patients were given i-gel where as members of group B, disposable LMA was given. General anesthesia was administered according to the standardized protocols. A day after operation, candidates were check post operatively for 24 hours, for sore throat and information was documented on Performa. Results: The candidates mean age was 44.23±15.11years in case of i-gel group members whereas 46.10±15.56 years in case of LMA group. In case of i-gel group, there were about twenty five males members and thirty five were females members . In case of LMA group members, there were about twenty six males and thirty four female members . In present case research, sore throat postoperatively was seen in case of 17(14.2%) cases, i.e. 4 (6.7%) in i-gel group while 13(21.7%) in case of LMA group. The significant difference was witnessed between members of both groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Thus i-gel is better than LMA for general anesthesia as it has fewer chances of side effects like postoperative sore throat. Keywords: Postoperative sore throat, I-gel, laryngeal mask airway, general anesthesia

Design of a novel clinical trial of prehospital pediatric airway management

Emergency Medical Services personnel are often the first to intervene in the care of critically ill children. Airway management is a fundamental step in prehospital resuscitation, yet there is significant variation in current prehospital airway management practices. Our objective is to present a methodologic approach to determine the optimal strategy for prehospital pediatric airway management. We describe the conceptual premise for the Pediatric Prehospital Airway Resuscitation Trial, a novel Bayesian adaptive sequential platform trial. We developed an innovative design to enable comparison of the three predominant prehospital pediatric airway techniques (bag-mask-ventilation, supraglottic airway insertion, and endotracheal intubation) in three distinct disease groups (cardiac arrest, major trauma, and other respiratory failure). We used a Bayesian statistical approach to provide flexible modeling that can adapt based on prespecified rules according to accumulating trial data with patient enrollment continuing until stopping rules are met. The approach also allows the comparison of multiple interventions in sequence across the different disease states. This Bayesian hierarchical model will be the primary analysis method for the Pediatric Prehospital Airway Resuscitation Trial. The model integrates information across subgroups, a technique known as “borrowing” to generate accurate global and subgroup-specific estimates of treatment effects and enables comparisons of airway intervention arms within the overarching trial. We will use this Bayesian hierarchical linear model that adjusts for subgroup to estimate treatment effects within each subgroup. The model will predict a patient-centered score of 30-day intensive care unit-free survival using arm, subgroup, and emergency medical services agency as predictors. The novel approach of Pediatric Prehospital Airway Resuscitation Trial will provide a feasible method to determine the optimal strategy for prehospital pediatric airway management and may transform the design of future prehospital resuscitation trials.

Perception and success rate of using advanced airway management by hospital-based paramedics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objective: The study aimed to measure the success rate of pre-hospital tracheal intubation (TI) and supraglottic airway devices (SADs) performed by paramedics for adult patients and to assess the perception of paramedics of advanced airway management.Method: The study consisted of two phases: phase 1 was a retrospective analysis to assess the TI and SADs’ success rates when applied by paramedics for adult patients aged >14 years from 2012 to 2017, and phase 2 was a distributed questionnaire to assess paramedics’ perception of advanced airway management.Result: In phase 1, 24 patients met our inclusion criteria. Sixteen (67%) patients had TI, of whom five had failed TI but then were successfully managed using SADs. The TI success rate was 69% from the first two attempts compared to SADs (100% from first attempt). In phase 2, 63/90 (70%) paramedics responded to the questionnaire, of whom 60 (95%) completed it. Forty-eight (80%) paramedics classified themselves to be moderately or very competent with advanced airway management. However, most of them (80%) performed only 1‐5 TIs or SADs a year.Conclusion: Hospital-based paramedics (i.e. paramedics who are working at hospitals and not in the ambulance service, and who mostly respond to small restricted areas in Saudi Arabia) handled few patients requiring advanced airway management and had a higher competency level with SADs than with TI. The study findings could be impacted by the low sample size. Future research is needed on the success rate and impact on outcomes of using pre-hospital advanced airway management, and on the challenges of mechanical ventilation use during interfacility transfer.

Evaluation of the insertion parameters and complications of the i-gel Plus airway device for maintaining patent airway during planned procedures under general anaesthesia: a protocol for a prospective multicentre cohort study

IntroductionSupraglottic airway devices represent a less invasive method of airway management than tracheal intubation during general anaesthesia. Their continued development is focused mainly on improvements in the insertion success rate and minimalisation of perioperative and postoperative complications. The i-gel Plus is a novel, anatomically preshaped supraglottic airway device which achieves a perilaryngeal seal due to a non-inflatable cuff made of a soft thermoplastic elastomer. The purpose of this cohort study is to assess the success rate of the i-gel Plus use during elective procedures under general anaesthesia, its intraoperative performance, and the degree of postoperative complications.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre, prospective, interventional cohort study. The enrolment will take place in seven centres in four European countries. We plan to enrol 2000 adult patients in total, who are scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia, and with an indication for use of a supraglottic airway device for management of their airway. The study is projected to run over a period of 18 months. The primary outcome of the study is the total success rate of the i-gel Plus insertion in terms of successful ventilation and oxygenation through the device. Secondary outcomes include perioperative parameters, such as insertion time, seal/leak pressures, number of insertion attempts and postoperative adverse events and complications. Postoperative follow-up will be performed at 1 hour, 24 hours in all patients, and for selected patients at 3 and 6 months.Ethics and disseminationThe cohort study has received the following ethical approvals: General University Hospital Prague, University Hospital Olomouc, University Military Hospital Prague, University Hospital Barcelona, University Hospital Lodz, Antrim Area Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, Office for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant anaesthesia conferences.Trial registration numberISRCTN86233693;Pre-results.