The EasyTube during general anesthesia for minor surgery: A randomized, controlled trial
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Published on: May 26, 2023
Oliver Robak1, Sonia Vaida, Luis Gaitini
1Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria Department of Anaesthesiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Centre, Hershey, PA Department of Anaesthesiology, Bnai Zion Medical Centre, Haifa, Israel Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, University of Mainz and Klinikum Idar-Oberstein, Idar-Oberstein, Germany Department of Anaesthesiology Clinica Vespucio, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile Department of Anaesthesiology and General Intensive Care, Medical University of Vienna and Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, Austria.
Background:
The EasyTube (EzT) is a supraglottic airway device that is used for emergency airway situations. Ventilation during general anesthesia should also be feasible, but literature on the EzT is scarce. We evaluated the EzT in comparison with the endotracheal tube (ETT) in its use during general anesthesia in a comparative study.
Methods:
A total of 400 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I to II scheduled for minor surgery in 4 centers were randomized for ventilation via the ETT or EzT.
Results:
In all patients, the EzT and the ETT could be inserted within 3 attempts. In all EzT patients, the inspiratory and expiratory minute volumes (6.64 ± 0.71 and 6.34 ± 0.69 L/min) were sufficient to reach target oxygenation values, similar to ETT patients (P = .59). Mean peak pressure, mean plateau pressure, and mean dynamic compliance did not differ between the groups. Sore throat and blood on the cuff after removal were the most frequent complications in both groups.
Conclusion:
Ventilation for up to 1 hour during general anesthesia in patients with ASA physical status I to II with the EzT is feasible and safe.
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