The distance between the glottis and the cuff of a tracheal tube placed through three supraglottic airway devices in children: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND After tracheal tube insertion via various types of supraglottic airway devices, the distance from the tube cuff to the vocal cords has not been evaluated in children. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the position of a tracheal tube cuff relative to the glottis in children when one of three supraglottic airway devices (I-gel, AuraGain and air-Q laryngeal airway) are used as intubation conduits. DESIGN A randomised controlled trial. SETTING Tertiary children's hospital. PATIENTS Children aged less than 7 years. INTERVENTION In vivo fibre-optic assessment and in vitro measurement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome was the safety margin: the distance between the ventilation outlet of the supraglottic airway device and the beginning of the proximal cuff minus that from the ventilation outlet to the glottis. The maximum inner diameter of the cuffed tracheal tube that could be inserted, the fibre-optic view score and the oropharyngeal leak pressure were also evaluated. RESULTS The three devices exhibited significant differences in the distance from the ventilation outlet to the glottis (mean ± SD): I-gel 3.6 ± 0.6 cm, AuraGain 3.8 ± 0.7 cm, air-Q 2.8 ± 1.0 cm (P 
Source: European Journal of Anaesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Paediatric anaesthesia Source Type: research