Donaldson W, Michalek P. Minerva Anestesiol 2010; 76(5): 369-372
This report details the case of a 47-year-old woman with subglottic stenosis. During preoperative screening she stated that there had been difficulty inserting an endotracheal tube during an earlier procedure. During anaesthesia, a size four i-gel® was inserted on the first attempt. A fibrescope was passed down the i-gel® and into the trachea, where subglottic stenosis could be seen. The i-gel® showed no signs of leaking and did not cause any trauma. The authors note that this is the first case report where an i-gel® has been used in a patient with subglottic stenosis, and state that preoperative tests should be carried out before choosing to use the device in this situation.
Link to abstract.
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Taxak S, Gopinath A. Minerva Anestesiol 2010; 76(5): 381
This case study describes the use of the i-gel® while the patient was in a prone position for surgery. A 45kg 16-year-old boy laid in a prone position with his head turned laterally. After induction of anaesthesia, a size three i-gel® was inserted on the first attempt. There were no adverse events either during or after surgery and the i-gel® was removed while the patient was still prone. Previous research has shown that the cLMA and ProSealTM airways can be inserted in the prone position, and i-gel®s have successfully ventilated prone patients who were turned over after insertion. However, this is the first reported case of i-gel® insertion while the patient is already prone. Routine use of this technique should only occur after further research has taken place.
Abstract text
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Ali A, Sheikh NA, Ali L, Siddique SA. Professional Med J 2010; 17(4): 643-647
100 patients received ventilation via the i-gel® or cLMA during elective surgery. The devices were compared for ease of insertion, insertion time, number of airway manipulations needed and post-operative complications. The devices were generally comparable. More airway manipulations were required with the i-gel®, however this was not a statistically significant increase compared to the cLMA. The incidence of complications was very low, with one case of blood on an i-gel® and one incident of laryngospasm with each device.
Abstract text
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Taxak S, Gopinath A. Anaesthesiology 2010; 112(2): 500-501
This correspondence article responds to Theiler et al’s comments on the design of the i-gel® and subsequent effects of tongue size. The authors state that they have noticed a similar issue where the patient’s tongue is carried towards the back of the mouth by the i-gel®, which then cannot be inserted fully. The i-gel® had to be removed and re-inserted. The authors recommend stabilising the tongue before attempting to insert the device. A reply from the authors of the original report says that a tongue retractor should be used for this rather than fingers. This response also points out that although the tongue may also get caught between the teeth and the i-gel® bite block, this could happen with any supraglottic airway.
Link to abstract.
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Chapman D. Anaesthesia 2010; 65(1): 89
This letter is a response to the 2009 study by Janakiraman (see page 7) et al. which compared the i-gel® to the LMA Classic®. In that study, the authors stated that the devices were lubricated along the tip and the posterior surface. However, the correct lubrication procedure for the i-gel® is different; the thermoplastic material used to make the device is tacky until lubricated and requires lubrication on all four sides of the cuff.
Abstract text
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