A comparison of the disposable vs the reusable laryngeal tube in paralysed adult patients.

A disposable laryngeal tube (LT-D) with dimensions identical to, but physical properties different from (stiffer tube/thicker cuff), the reusable laryngeal tube (LT-R) has recently become available. We performed a randomised, single blind trial among 100 anaesthetised and paralysed patients to compare these devices in terms of ease of insertion, airway sealing pressure, position assessed fibreoptically and postoperative throat complications. Anaesthesia was administered with midazolam, fentanyl, propofol, atracurium, oxygen and isoflurane. The LT-D and LT-R showed similar clinical performances, as shown by their insertion times (28.4 and 23.6 s, respectively). Successful insertion at the first attempt was achieved in 90% with LT-D and 96% with LT-R. There were no differences in airway sealing pressure, fibreoptic position or post operative sore throat and dysphagia. The intra cuff pressure remained stable for the LT-R but decreased slightly for the LT-D. In paralysed, anaesthetised patients, the single use and reusable laryngeal tubes are similar in clinical performance.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes