Supraglottic airway devices: current and future uses.

Supraglottic airway devices have increasingly been used in anaesthesia since their invention in 1982. Now over half of general anaesthetic cases in the UK use them, and they have vital roles in difficult airway algorithms, pre-hospital use and emergency medicine. This article presents the current evidence regarding the complications of these devices, and compares these devices and endotracheal intubation. The technology of the newer generation devices has improved the safety profile, and they may be considered a better choice than endotracheal tubes in some cases. There may be a case for using these devices in a wider range of surgical and non-surgical cases.