Background: In recent years, different supraglottic airway devices became popular and new constructions have been proposed. We compared a classic laryngeal mask airway (LMA-classic) with the COBRA-PLA device (a LMA of different design).
Methods: Fifty adult ASA 1 and 2 adult patients, scheduled for minor urological interventions were randomly allocated to receive the LMA-Classic or the COBRA-PLA.
Results: Time to secure airway was shorter for the LMA-Classic (16.8+/- 5 sec vs 33.0 +/- 19.6 sec; p<0.0001). The leak pressure was higher in the COBRA group (29.0+/- 7.5 vs 22.2 +/- 3.5 cm H2O; p=0.001). The cuff pressure, necessary for obtaining adequate seal, was higher for the LMA (83.6 +/- 14.1 vs 60.2 +/- 16.4 cm H2O; p<0.0001). We did not observe statistically significant differences in heart rate, arterial blood pressure, pulse oximetry and frequency of sore throat.
Conclusions: The LMA-classic was easier to insert but the COBRA device had more effective seal. These differences were not clinically important; both devices were found equally effective.