Air-Q Self Pressurizing

[chbare]

This is an interesting and novel design. It looks to be very much like the love child of an LMA and an iGel. However, the interesting thing is the self pressurizing component where the cuff inflates and deflates in response to how you ventilate the patient.

The studies seem to place it's effectiveness as a primary airway as being on par with other types of supraglottic airways. Does anybody have any experience with these airways?

http://mercurymed.com/catalog2/index.php?type=85

[paramedicmike]

No experience with these at all.

So how do they self pressurize? Looking at the info provided I didn't see anything that explained how it does what it does.

[Arctickat]

Perhaps when the PPV enters the tube it inflates the cuff, but during the expiratory phase it relaxes so that there is less chance of barotrauma to the tissues?

[chbare]

That is exactly how it works. There is a passage that allows the cuff to communicate with the ventilation port. I'm not throwing in with the idea, but it's novel and is at least as effective as the LMA when looking at the limited evidence.