i-gel (n=51) SLMA (n=46) P value
Insertion
Extra propofol
Insertion attempts; 1:2:3
Insertion success; y: n
Ease of insertion; 1:2:3
Time for insertion; s
Total manipulations needed (patients)
Complications of insertion (patients)
8
40:6:5
47:4
40:6:5
15 (10-24) [4-120]
17 (11)
7 (7)
3
40:3:3
43:3
40:1:2
17 (11-21) [4-120]
8 (7)
6 (4)
0.27
0.54
0.80
0.12
0.87
0.12 (0.6)
1.0 (0.65)
Initial airway
Quality of airway (good: poor: inadequate; not recorded)
Fibreoptic laryngeal view; 1:2:3:4
Fibreoptic drain tube view; (larynx: mucosa: open oesophagus: closed oesophagus)
Gastric tube success
46:1:0:0

41:4:1:0
3:21:10:6


35:5
40:0:0:3

30:5:4:1
1:31:4:5


40:2
1.0

0.24
0.12


0.39
Ventilation
Chest movement; yes: no
Vt>7 ml kg-1 ; yes: no
Stable oxygenation; yes: no
Normal capnography; yes: no
All measures of ventilation good; yes: no Airway leak pressure, cm H2O
46:1
45:2
47:0
44:3
43:4

22.5 (17-29) [7-40]
43:0
42:1
42:1
42:1
42:1

25.5 (20-30) [3-30]
1.0
1.0
0.96
0.69
0.42

0.46
Maintenance
Manipulations required (patients)
Quality of airway; patent; intermittent obstruction; obstructed
Lowest oxygen saturation %
Complications (patients)
Failure (patients)
2 (2)
45:1:0

98 (96-99) [92-99]
1 (1)
0 (0)
0 (0)
43:0:0

98 (99-98.5) [89-99]
0 (0)
0 (0)
0.55 (0.55)
1.0

0.97
1.0 (1.0)
1.0 (1.0)
Emergence and removal
Not tolerated during emergence; yes: no
Problems with secretions; yes: no
Blood on the airway; yes:no
Complications at removal (patients)
 44:1
2:43
5:40
0: 45 (0)
  41:0
1: 40
1:40
1: 40 (1)
1.0
1.0
0.25
0.95 (0.95)
Table 2: Device performance. Continuous data presented as median (interquartile range) [range].