• C Freisburger and K Goldmann.
• Klinik für Anästhesie und Intensivtherapie, Universitätsklinikum Giessen-Marburg, Standort Marburg, Baldingerstrasse 1, 35033 Marburg.
• Anaesthesist. 2006 Dec 1; 55 (12): 1255-8.

BackgroundThe ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) has been studied in numerous investigations and the airway leak pressure (P(leak)) is often used as a primary end-point, particularly in comparative studies with other supraglottic airway devices. The PLMA offers the opportunity to place a gastric tube through the drain-tube and P(leak) measurement can take place both with and without a gastric tube. With this study we tested the hypothesis that the use of a gastric tube influences the P(leak).MethodsThe P(leak) of the PLMA was studied in 98 patients under total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol (0.1-0.15 mg*kgBW-1*min-1) and remifentanil (0.1-0.3 microg*kgBW-1*min-1) before and after placement of a gastric tube through the drain-tube of the PLMA.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the mean baseline P(leak) without a gastric tube in place (25+/-6.3 cm H(2)O) and the mean P(leak) after placement of a gastric tube (25+/-6.7 cm H2O; p=0.6).ConclusionPlacement of a gastric tube through the drain-tube of the PLMA does not influence the P(leak). Providing the same method of measurement has been used, P(leak) values from different studies obtained with or without a gastric tube in place are comparable.

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