Introduction:

Airway management in children is one of the challenges faced by physicians in the different care settings. Unlike the adult population, there is no standard-of-reference device for blind intubation in pediatrics. Our group has already conducted a case series study using the I-Gel device for this purpose, but with no acceptable rates of blind intubation. As part of our search for an appropriate device for this purpose, we examined the use of the Air-Q which comes in pediatric sizes but lacks studies for blind intubation in this population.

Objective:

The main objective of this study was to assess the percentage of successful blind tracheal intubations through the Air-Q supraglottic device.

Materials and methods:

Prospective sample of 45 pediatric patients weighing between 7 and 50 kg. Besides assessing the percentage of successful blind tracheal intubations, sealing pressures, and fiberoptic visualization through the device were also evaluated and reported, together with the complications associated with the procedure.

Results and conclusion:

The overall percentage of blind intubation through the Air-Q mask in this study was 55.5%, found to be not acceptable to warrant a recommendation of use for blind intubation; on the other hand, ideal fiberoptic visualiza tion was acceptable, making this method advisable for fiberoptic-guided intubation through the supraglotting device.

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