Comparison of the performance of 'Intubating LMA' and 'Cobra PLA' as an aid to blind endotracheal tube insertion in patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE

Supraglottic airways (SGA) through which blind endotracheal intubation is made possible is an area of considerable interest. Our study aimed at comparing the Cobra Perilaryngeal Airway (CPLA) with the Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (ILMA) with regard to the performance of the former as a conduit for facilitating blind endotracheal intubation.

METHODS

American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-II patients consenting to the study, with no predictors of difficult airway, scheduled for elective surgery were randomized into two groups of 30 each. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl, propofol and vecuronium. CPLA was inserted in Group I and ILMA in Group II. Fibreoptic scoring of the laryngeal view was done through the SGA. Blind intubation through either CPLA or ILMA was then carried out with cuffed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube in Group I and ILMA-tracheal tube in Group II.

RESULTS

Demographic and surgical data were comparable between the two groups. The success rate of intubation (87% through CPLA and 90% through ILMA) (p value 1), number of attempts made and the fibreoptic scores (p value 0.12) were comparable between the two groups. Insertion time was significantly longer in Group I as compared with Group II (9 s vs. 4 s; p value 0.004). Trauma and sore throat were more common in Group I (p value -0.1, 0.19 respectively). Hemodynamic monitoring showed more tachycardia during CPLA insertion as compared with ILMA (p value 0.006).

CONCLUSION

We conclude that CPLA can be used as an effective conduit for blind endotracheal intubation with cuffed PVC tube and has comparable efficacy in tracheal intubation as that with ILMA.