A comparison of i-gel (TM) and Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme (TM) during general anesthesia in infants

Background: The i-gel (TM) (i-gel) and Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme (TM) (LMA Supreme) have been safely used in children. We compared the airway performance of the i-gel and LMA Supreme in infants undergoing general anesthesia. Methods: Sixty infants with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II were randomly assigned to place either the i-gel or the LMA Supreme. The size 1 or 1.5 of each airway was selected by the weight of infants. The primary outcome variable was oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP). We also assessed insertion success rate, insertion time, fiber-optic view of the larynx, airway quality, airway manipulations, and perioperative complications. Results: Demographic data did not differ between the two groups. Insertion success rate was similar in both groups. OLP for the i-gel (26.0 +/- 3.8 cmH(2)O) was higher than for the LMA Supreme (23.7 +/- 3.2 cmH2O) (P = 0.016). Insertion time for the i-gel (16.4 +/- 2.8 s) was shorter than for the LMA Supreme (18.5 +/- 2.7 s) (P = 0.002). There were no differences in fiberoptic view of the larynx, airway quality, airway manipulations, and complications between the two groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the i-gel and LMA Supreme provided a similar performance of airway in infants. Compared with the LMA Supreme, the i-gel provided shorter insertion time and higher OLP in infants.