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The association between thenar eminence and I-gel™ dimensions in paediatric patients
Ozgun Cuvas Apan1, Alparslan Apan1
1Giresun University Medical Faculty, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Giresun, Turkey.
Insights
The thenar eminence dimensions in children correlate with I-gel airway device sizes. This anatomical landmark offers a practical method for selecting appropriate pediatric airway devices.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Pediatric Airway Management
- Anatomical Landmarks
Background:
- Selecting appropriate airway devices is crucial in pediatric anesthesia.
- Current methods for device selection may require improvement for ease and accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between thenar eminence dimensions and I-gel sizes in pediatric patients.
- To determine if the thenar eminence can serve as a practical anatomical landmark for selecting I-gel devices.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 270 pediatric patients (0-12 years) undergoing elective procedures.
- I-gel size was determined by body weight; thenar eminence dimensions (long-axis Th-l, short-axis Th-w) were measured post-insertion.
- Correlation analysis between thenar eminence and I-gel dimensions.
Main Results:
- Significant correlations were found between thenar eminence width (Th-w) and I-gel width (Ig-w) (r=0.794, p<0.001).
- Significant correlations were also found between thenar eminence length (Th-l) and I-gel length (Ig-l) (r=0.820, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Thenar eminence dimensions correlate well with weight-based I-gel sizes in children.
- The thenar eminence shows potential as a practical anatomical landmark for assessing appropriate I-gel sizes in pediatric patients.
Objectives:
A practical anatomic landmark may be helpful to perform the appropriate size of the airway devices easily in paediatric patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between thenar eminence and I-gel dimensions in children.
Methods:
After Institutional Ethics Committee approval, two hundred and seventy ASA Class I-II patients between 0 and 12 years old, who were scheduled for elective procedures under general anaesthesia not requiring tracheal intubation, were recruited to the study. The size of the I-gel selected was based on the patient's body weight according to the manufacturer's recommendation. After successful insertion of the I-gel, thenar eminence dimensions were determined. Long-axis (Th-l) was measured from junction point of the thumb to wrist curl and short-axis (Th-w) constitutes the largest portion of the thenar eminence from lateral end of the thumb to the first hand line. The manufacturer's dimensions of the I-gel which was inserted into the patients were compared with the measurements obtained from thenar eminence.
Results:
The mean (SD) values for (Ig-w) and (Ig-l) were 2.98cm (0.53) and 4.54cm (0.82), and the mean (SD) values for (Th-w) and (Th-l) were 2.99cm (0.60) and 3.88cm (0.93), respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between Th-w and Ig-w (r=0.794, p<0.001), and between Th-l and Ig-l (r=0.820, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
The dimensions of thenar eminence were fitted to that of the weight based size of I-gel and this anatomic landmark may be a practical tool to assess appropriate size for paediatric patients.
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