[Use of the epiglottic airway I-gel during anesthetic maintenance: first clinical impressions]

The paper gives a concise account of the evolution of epiglottic airways and the emergence of the new product of this class--I-gel (Intersurgical, United Kingdom). It outlines the structural features of I-gel and the authors' experience in using the latter to maintain airway patency during anesthetic maintenance in 34 patients. Based on a review of the scanty data available in the literature on this airway and their clinical experience, the authors come to the conclusion that there is a great variety of I-gel inherent positive characteristics that make this airway highly promising for the needs of current anesthetic maintenance and, possibly, resuscitative care. The authors consider it expedient to expand the use of I-gel to specify the evaluation of its efficiency and competitive capacity of the epiglottic airways that have already well shown themselves.