A comparison of laryngeal mask airway I-gel and Supreme during general anesthesia for lower abdominal surgery in children

Abstract

Background: Both laryngeal mask airway I-gel and Supreme have been available for clinical use, but there was no comparison between two devices. This study was designed to compare the efficacy and complications of the laryngeal mask airway I-gel and Supreme in children undergoing general anesthesia for lower abdominal surgery. Methods: One hundred and twenty children were randomly assigned to either the I-gel or the Supreme group (60 children in each group). All patients of the two groups received the same protocol of general anesthesia. Evaluation criteria included successful mask insertion rate, ease of insertion, insertion time, and number of adjustments needed during anesthesia maintenace and postoperative complications. Results: There were no differences in the demographic data between the two groups. The success rate of insertion in the first attempt of the I-gel group was 94.8% and the Supreme group (98.3%) (p>0.05). According to ease of placement, grade 1 (very easy) ratios of Supreme, and I-gel were 40% and 3.3%, respectively (p<0.01). The insertion time of the I-gel was longer than that of Supreme (p < 0.05). The rate of airway manipulations during anesthesia maintenance of Supreme, and I-gel group were 5% and 11.7%, respectively (p > 0.05). The most common complication was cough, with the rate of 17% in I-gel group and 5% in Supreme group (p<0.05). There were no differences in other complications between both groups. Conclusions: Both I-gel and Supreme provided a satisfactory airway during general anesthesia in children. Insertion of Supreme was significantly easier and more rapid than insertion of I-gel, and the incidence of cough after surgery was significantly lower with Supreme than I-gel. Key words: Laryngeal mask airway, I-gel, Supreme, children