Digital palpation of the pilot balloon vs. continuous manometry for controlling the intracuff pressure in laryngeal mask airways |
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| Authors: | M. Hensel T. Güldenpfennig A. Schmidt M. Krumm T. Kerner W. J. Kox |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Park‐Klinik‐Weissensee, Berlin, Germany;2. Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Asklepios Klinikum Harburg, Hamburg, Germany;3. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité‐University Hospital, Berlin, Germany |
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| Abstract: | This study compared two methods of controlling the intracuff pressure in laryngeal mask airways. One hundred and eighty patients were randomly assigned into two groups. In the first group (n = 90), after training, the intracuff pressure was controlled using digital palpation of the pilot balloon. In the second group (n = 90), continuous manometry was used to control the intracuff pressure. An upper pressure limit of 60 cmH2O was set. The median (IQR [range]) intracuff pressure in the palpation group was 130 (125–130 [120–130]) cmH2O compared with 29 (20–39 [5–60]) cmH2O in the manometry group (p < 0.001). In the palpation group, 37% of patients experienced pharyngolaryngeal complications vs. 12% in the manometry group (p < 0.001). We conclude that the digital palpation technique is not a suitable alternative to manometry in controlling the intracuff pressure in laryngeal mask airways. |
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| Keywords: | anaesthesia techniques aspiration management: laryngeal mask airway monitored anaesthesia care: requirements pain terms |
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