Acott CJ. Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine 2008; 38(3): 124-127
This study looked at the use of i-gel® in airway management of a patient in a diving bell or deck decompression chamber. The study highlighted the potential limitations of some supraglottic airways used in Hyperbaric Medicine, such as possible cuff expansion with a decrease in pressure on decompression and change in cuff volume due to gas diffusion as the gas mixtures change, problems not associated with i-gel®. It showed that, subjectively, there was no change in the consistency of the i-gel® at 203 and 283kPa pressure and that no bubbles were detected following decompression from 203, 283 or 608kPa. The i-gel® was also preferred by the Diver Medical Technicians (DMTs) to the alternative device included in the manikin section of the study because it ‘lacked a cuff and was easier to insert from any position’.
Link to abstract.