Objectives: Significant heterogeneity exists internationally in the airway devices used in the pre-hospital setting during cardiac arrest. This study evaluated the first-pass success (FPS) rate of two supraglottic airways (SGAs) used by paramedics during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the King LTS-D and the i-gel.
Methods: By examining 2,680 patient care records compiled by Ambulance New Brunswick between 2015 and 2020, we evaluated the FPS rate of the two SGAs using a 2x2 Pearson chi-square test for association, and a Mann-Whitney U test, to determine whether there were significant differences in FPS rates.
Results: Our study demonstrated a statistically significant association between airway devices and FPS favoring the i-gel with an FPS of 90.6% compared to a 76.6% FPS with the King LTS-D; X 2(1) = 96.01, p < 0.001. The odds of successfully inserting the airway on the first attempt were 2.94 times higher if paramedics used the i-gel than if they used the King LTS-D with a 95% CI [2.32, 3.60]. Mann-Whitney's U test for SGA differences favored the i-gel in fewer attempts for successful insertion (z = -4.357, p < 0.001, d = 0.15).
Conclusions: Among patients in New Brunswick with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, paramedics had a higher FPS rate with the i-gel compared to the King LTS-D. Our study also found a statistically significant difference between the King LTS-D and i-gel, favoring the i-gel in fewer attempts. Our findings suggest that the i-gel provides a more consistent FPS rate compared to the King LTS-D within our study populations; however, further research is necessary to determine the clinical implications of this. While multiple attempts at tracheal intubation are associated with negative clinical outcomes, no such evidence exists for SGAs.
Keywords: emergency medical services; emergency medicine; paramedic; pre-hospital; supraglottic airway.
Copyright © 2022, Price et al.