Comparison between i‐gel and endotracheal tube in corneal grafts: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

PurposeTo assess the safety of the laryngeal mask I‐Gel® in keratoplasty (KP) performed under general anaesthesia.MethodsPatients with indications for KP (n = 110) were enrolled in a prospective study and randomly assigned to I‐Gel® (n = 55; 30 lamellar KP and 25 penetrating KP) or tracheal tube (n = 55; 29 lamellar KP and 26 penetrating KP). Peri‐operative complications and recovery time were compared between two groups using t‐test or χ2 test. Contraindications to elective use of the laryngeal mask airway were exclusion criteria (oesophageal reflux, extreme obesity, oropharyngeal pathology, expected difficult intubation).ResultsNo surgical peri‐operative complications were reported in either group. There was a significantly greater incidence of coughing at extubation and after extubation in the tracheal group (25/55; 45%) than in the laryngeal mask group (3/55; 5%) (p < 0.001). Recovery time was shorter in the I‐Gel® group (80 min; 95%CI [75–86]) compared with the tracheal tube group (88 min; 95%CI [82–95]) (p = 0.03). There were no significant differences in the incidence of sore throat and hoarseness between the two devices.ConclusionsThe use of I‐Gel® for keratoplasty under general anaesthesia is safe, reduces the risk of potential ocular hypertension during recovery and saves recovery time.