i-gel® from Intersurgical: clinical evidence listing

A comprehensive list of all known published clinical evidence on the device

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Welcome to this special database offering a comprehensive listing of clinical evidence on the i-gel® from Intersurgical second-generation supraglottic airway device, covering full studies, case reports and reviews. We hope you find it interesting and useful, and we will continue to upload new evidence as it is published.

The first study on i-gel® was conducted by Richard Levitan and his team at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, USA. This landmark study on the positioning and mechanics of i-gel® in 65 non-embalmed cadavers was initially presented as a free paper at the UK Difficult Airway Society meeting in Leicester in November 2004 and accepted for publication in Anaesthesia in April 2005. i-gel® was subsequently launched in January 2007 at the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland Winter Meeting in London, UK.

The first independent clinical data on patients was a letter to the editor of Resuscitation from David Gabbott and Richard Beringer at Gloucester Royal Hospital in the UK. This correspondence, entitled, ‘The i-gel® supraglottic airway: A potential role for resuscitation?’ reported initial findings on the use of i-gel® in 100 patients presenting for elective surgery under general anaesthesia.  

The i-gel® is made of a medical grade thermoplastic elastomer, designed to create a non-inflatable anatomical seal of the pharyngeal, laryngeal and perilaryngeal structures.

An integrated gastric channel provides an early warning of regurgitation, facilitates venting of gas from the stomach and allows for the passing of a suction tube to empty the stomach contents. The device also includes a buccal cavity stabiliser to provide vertical strength during insertion and eliminate the potential for rotation.