Use of New Supraglottic Airway Devices in Severely Obese Patients: A Feasibility Study

Use of New Supraglottic Airway Devices in Severely Obese Patients: A Feasibility Study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether two new airway devices used during anesthesia called iGEL™ and KING-LTS-DTM work well and are safe in obese patients. They both work well in thin patients, but have not been tested in obese patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Scheduled for elective surgery with an estimated duration of 30 to 120 minutes
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status I-III
• Aged 18 to 65 years.
• Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of difficult intubation;
• Immobilized cervical spine;
• Oxygen saturation less than 95% at room air;
• A history of uncontrolled gastroesophageal reflux or hiatus hernia;
• A history of ulcer surgery including vagotomy;
• Previous gastric bypass surgery;
• Diabetic gastroparesis;
• Patients with known coagulation disorders (e.g. hemophilias, von Willebrand disease, factor V leiden diseases) or on systemic anticoagulation drugs (e.g. continuous heparin infusion); Patients with abnormal coagulation tests will be also excluded. However, asymptomatic patients will not be tested on any coagulation disorders.
• Any pathologies of the mouth, pharynx or larynx, the access to the airway is restricted, or a difficult tracheal intubation is anticipated.
• Pregnant or breast-feeding (pregnancy status will be confirmed by a pregnancy test, as it is standard for all surgical procedures at the University hospital).