Definitive airway management of patients presenting with a pre-hospital inserted King LT(S)-D™ laryngeal tube airway: a historical cohort study

• Published in: Canadian journal of anesthesia 2016-03, Vol.63 (3), p.275-282
• Main Authors: Subramanian, Arun, Garcia-Marcinkiewicz, Annery G., Brown, Daniel R., Brown, Michael J., Diedrich, Daniel A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Airway management; Airway Management - adverse effects; Airway Management - instrumentation; Airway Management - methods; Anesthesiology; Cardiology; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Critical Care Medicine; Edema; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Intensive; Intubation, Intratracheal - instrumentation; Laryngoscopy; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Ostomy; Pain Medicine; Patients; Pediatrics; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Reports of Original Investigations; Respiratory failure; Retrospective Studies; Review boards; Tracheostomy; Tracheotomy
• ISSN: 0832-610X; 1496-8975
• DOI: 10.1007/s12630-015-0493-x

Purpose The King LT(S)-D™ laryngeal tube (King LT) has gained popularity as a bridge airway for pre-hospital airway management. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the use of the King LT and its associated airway outcomes at a single Level 1 trauma centre. Methods The data on all adult patients presenting to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with a King LT in situ from July 1, 2007 to October 10, 2012 were retrospectively evaluated. Data collected and descriptively analyzed included patient demographics, comorbidities, etiology of respiratory failure, airway complications, subsequent definitive airway management technique, duration of mechanical ventilation, and status at discharge. Results Forty-eight adult patients met inclusion criteria. The most common etiology for respiratory failure requiring an artificial airway was cardiac arrest [28 (58%) patients] or trauma [9 (19%) patients]. Four of the nine trauma patients had facial trauma. Surgical tracheostomy was the definitive airway management technique in 14 (29%) patients. An airway exchange catheter, direct laryngoscopy, and video laryngoscopy were used in 11 (23%), ten (21%), and ten (21%) cases, respectively. Seven (78%) of the trauma patients underwent surgical tracheostomy compared with seven (18%) of the medical patients. Adverse events associated with King LT use occurred in 13 (27%) patients, with upper airway edema (i.e., tongue engorgement and glottic edema) being most common (19%). Conclusion In this study of patients presenting to a hospital with a King LT, the majority of airway exchanges required an advanced airway management technique beyond direct laryngoscopy. Upper airway edema was the most common adverse observation associated with King LT use.