[Clinical evaluation of the single use Laryngeal Tube in adults: the LTD]. / Evaluation clinique chez l'adulte du tube laryngé à usage unique: le LTD.

OBJECTIVES: The Laryngeal Tube (LT) is a supra-laryngeal device indicated to manage upper airway during anaesthesia. Leak pressures were lately reported higher for the LT as compared to the LMA. A recent study found a small amount of proteinaceous material on LMA after classical sterilization suggesting a risk of contamination by unconventional transmissible agents (prions). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the single use Laryngeal Tube: the LTD. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study realized after ethical committee agreement and patient consent for participation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adults, ASA score< or =3, 18 to 75-year-old, without upper airway abnormality or difficult intubation criteria, anaesthesia< or =2 h, free access to patient's head and LTD. The following criteria were evaluated: easiness of insertion, assisted (AV), controlled (CV) and spontaneous ventilation (SV); leak pressure (LP) 5 and 15 min after insertion; complications during anaesthesia conducted with propofol and remifentanil under bispectral index monitoring. RESULTS: 55 patients were included; only one failure was reported at insertion. AV and CV were easy, SV difficult in 4 patients with chin lift necessary for adequate ventilation. LP was 28.92+/-8.4 and 30.87+/-8.68 cmH2O 5 and 15 min after insertion respectively. No major incident was noticed throughout the study. CONCLUSION: the use of the LTD was easy and successful. Moreover the LTD totally excluded the risk of contamination by unconventional transmissible agents.