Does the ILMA make sense in HEMS?

As first reported by Brain(1) by the early 1980s, the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) represented a new approach to airway management. The LMA has been used to facilitate tracheal intubation by a variety of methods. In fact, the LMA has been used to intubate the patient with difficult tracheal access. A recent addition to this technique, the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA), shown in Figure 1, first was proposed by Brain and coworkers in 1995.(1,2) Fig. 1. Components of the intubating laryngeal mask airway. An endotracheal tube may be passed through the airway tube. The ILMA incorporates the standard LMA cuff in sizes 3, 4, or 5, along with a metal airway tube and handle. The handle allows users to manipulate the device within the patient's airway. The airway tube component has a wider internal diameter and is shorter than the standard LMA tube. A silicone rubber bite block surrounds the upper portion of the stem.

Mesna compared with continuous bladder irrigation as uroprotection during high-dose chemotherapy and transplantation: a randomized trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the use of intravenous (IV) hydration plus either continuous bladder irrigation or mesna for the prevention of hemorrhagic cystitis in the bone marrow transplant setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred patients were prospectively randomized to receive either continuous bladder irrigation with 200 mL/h of normal saline, or continuous infusion mesna at 100% of the cyclophosphamide dose. RESULTS: The overall incidence of hematuria of any grade was significantly higher in the bladder-irrigation group (76%) compared with the mesna group (53%) (P = .007). However, the incidence of grade III and IV hematuria was the same in both groups (18%; P = NS). Moderate or severe discomfort or bladder spasms were reported in 84% of the patients who received bladder irrigation, compared with 2% of the patients who received mesna prophylaxis (P < .0001). Urinary tract infections (UTIs) were documented in 27% of the patients in the bladder-irrigation group, compared with 14% of the patients in the mesna group (P = .03). CONCLUSION: Both continuous bladder irrigation and mesna were equally effective in preventing severe hemorrhagic cystitis associated with high-dose cyclophosphamide and bone marrow transplantation. However, the use of mesna was associated with significantly less discomfort and a lower incidence of UTIs.