Observational Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Igel Supraglottic Airway Device Insertion in Anesthetised Patients by Anesthesia Faculty versus Residents

Abstract

Aims: Successful airway management is the first priority in a variety of emergency care and hospital scenarios. This study was an attempt to compare and find out how quickly a first-time resident can learn to insert an I-gel and secure the airway versus their trained counterparts, thereby proving the effectiveness of this I-gel innovation in airway patency maintenance.
 Study Design: Observational cross-sectional study.
 Place & Duration of Study: Department of Anesthesiology, Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra 411018 India, from August 2021 to December 2021.
 Methodology: Two groups of 80 patients belonging to ASA grade I and II, aged between 18 to 65 years, including either gender, posted for elective surgery under GA requiring I-gel Supraglottic Airway device (SAD) insertion, with informed consent. The patients underwent I-gel SAD insertion by Anaesthesia Faculty & Anaesthesia Residents respectively. Baseline vital hemodynamic parameters, the time taken for insertion, number of attempts made and the serial heart rate, arterial pressure, SpO2 and respiratory rate noted at the time of insertion and at one, three- and five-minutes following insertion were noted.
 Results: Faculty group outperformed the residents with regards to number of attempts taken and time taken for each attempt, however the numbers in both groups are still comparable with no stark differences.
 Conclusions: There’s a very short & easy learning curve for successful i-gel® insertion by novice practitioners as well as paramedical workers, which can be utilized during a variety of emergency care and pre-hospital scenarios with adequate training to ensure adequate airway protection.