A chin-lift mask produces a patent airway more effectively than an oropharyngeal airway using the EC-clamp technique in obese patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficiency of ventilation using a novel chin-lift mask compared with an oropharyngeal airway (OPA) with EC-clamp technique in obese patients.


METHODS
Obese patients scheduled for cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia were divided into two groups: the OPA group, in which a standard mask and OPA with the EC-clamp technique were used; the CL group, in which the chin-lift mask was used. Respiratory data were compared.


RESULTS
One hundred patients were recruited and assigned to the OPA (n = 50) and CL (n = 50) groups. Compared with the OPA group, expired tidal volume, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), tidal volume/peak inspiratory pressure ratio and end-tidal carbon dioxide were higher, and the peak and mean inspiratory pressures were lower, in the CL group. In the CL group, no patient had an SpO2 ≤ 95% and the lowest SpO2 was 99%, whereas in the OPA group, 23 patients had an SpO2 ≤ 95% and the lowest SpO2 was 92%. Difficult mask ventilation occurred in eight patients in the OPA group but in none in the CL group.


CONCLUSIONS
The chin-lift mask provided a patent airway and better quality mask ventilation than an OPA with EC-clamp technique in obese patients.
Department of Anaesthesia, Tianjin Union Medicine Centre, Tianjin, China.
Li
L
Li
Department of Anaesthesia, Tianjin Union Medicine Centre, Tianjin, China 74lily@sina.com.
Jie
J
Feng
Department of Anaesthesia, Tianjin Union Medicine Centre, Tianjin, China.
Shu Hua
SH
Xie
Department of Anaesthesia, Tianjin Union Medicine Centre, Tianjin, China.
Li Cheng
LC
Geng
D000328:Adult; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000379:methods*; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D001279:Atracurium; D002680:Chin; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl; D006801:Humans; D007385:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015742:Propofol; D013990:Tidal Volume
D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D001279:Atracurium; D008874:Midazolam; D005283:Fentanyl; D015742:Propofol
EC-clamp technique; Mask ventilation; bag-valve mask