Design and implementation of an educational program in advanced airway management for anesthesiology residents

Education and training in advanced airway management as part of an anesthesiology residency program is necessary to help residents attain the status of expert in difficult airway management. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) emphasizes that residents in anesthesiology must obtain significant experience with a broad spectrum of airway management techniques. However, there is no specific number required as a minimum clinical experience that should be obtained in order to ensure competency. We have developed a curriculum for a new Advanced Airway Techniques rotation. This rotation is supplemented with a hands-on Difficult Airway Workshop. We describe here this comprehensive advanced airway management educational program at our institution. Future studies will focus on determining if education in advanced airway management results in a decrease in airway related morbidity and mortality and overall better patients' outcome during difficult airway management.

Randomized controlled trial comparing the laryngeal tube and the laryngeal mask in pediatric patients

BACKGROUND

The laryngeal tube (LT) is a supraglottic ventilatory device used in adults. However, there is limited information about LT use in pediatric patients. This randomized controlled study compares LT with laryngeal mask (LMA) for airway management during spontaneous or assisted ventilation and during fiberoptic laryngoscopy in children.

METHODS

Thirty children under 10-years old, ASA I-II, scheduled for minor general surgery, Mallampati score I-II, fasted and premedicated were included. Patients with upper respiratory infection, craniofacial malformation, intracranial hypertension, emergency surgery were excluded. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients in whom effective spontaneous or assisted ventilation [Vt > or = 4 ml.kg(-1), SpO2 > or = 95% with FiO2 0.4, P(E)CO2 < or = 7.2 kPa (55 mmHg)] was achieved after 3 min of LT or LMA cuff inflation. The secondary endpoint was the proportion of patients in whom fiberoptic laryngoscopy resulted in identification of the vocal cords.

RESULTS

Eleven children with LMA and two children in LT group had adequate spontaneous or assisted ventilation after initial positioning (P < 0.01). After head extension or device repositioning 15 of 15 patients in LMA group had adequate ventilation compared with 11 of 15 patients in LT group (P < 0.05). The vocal cords could be observed with fiberoptic laryngoscopy in 11 LMA group patients compared with no patients in the LT group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The LT is less effective than the LMA to allow adequate spontaneous or assisted ventilation and for fiberoptic evaluation of the airway in children under 10 years old.

Comparison of the intubating laryngeal mask airway and laryngeal tube placement during manual in-line stabilisation of the neck

We compared the placement of the laryngeal tube (LT) with the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) in 51 patients whose necks were stabilised by manual in-line traction. Following induction of anaesthesia and neuromuscular blockade, the LT and ILMA were inserted consecutively in a randomised, crossover design. Using pressure-controlled ventilation (20 cmH(2)O inspiratory pressure), we measured insertion attempts, time to establish positive-pressure ventilation, tidal volume, gastric insufflation, and minimum airway pressure at which gas leaked around the cuff. Data were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Insertion was found to be more difficult with the LT (successful at first attempt in 16 patients) than with the ILMA (successful at first attempt in 42 patients, p < 0.0001). Time required for insertion was longer for the LT (28 [23-35] s, median [interquartile range]) than for the ILMA (20 [15-25] s, p = 0.0009). Tidal volume was less for the LT (440 [290-670] ml) than for the ILMA (630 [440-750] ml, p = 0.013). Minimum airway pressure at which gas leak occurred and incidence of gastric insufflation were similar with two devices. In patients whose necks were stabilised with manual in-line traction, insertion of the ILMA was easier and quicker than insertion of the LT and tidal volume was greater with the ILMA than the LT.