A FIELD COMPARISON OF THE PHARYNGEOTRACHEAL LUMEN AIRWAY AND THE ENDOTRACHEAL-TUBE

A prospective, sequential study compared ease of use and bag-valve ventilation delivered by an endotracheal tube (ET) with that of the pharyngeotracheal lumen airway (PtL) for 111 victims of cardiac arrest in the pre-hospital setting. The PtL airway was found to be significantly easier to use as measured by the time required to intubate the patient and the number of attempts to place the device. Arterial blood gas determinations were made on arrival at the hospital and repeated 15 minutes later. No statistical significance could be found between the two airway devices for either the first or second blood gas determination. During PtL ventilation, the first arterial blood gas values were PaCO2, 58 +/- 32 mm Hg; PaO2, 163 +/- 180 mm Hg; pH, 7.15 +/- 0.22. During ET ventilation the first arterial blood gas values were PaCO2, 53 +/- 29 mm Hg; PaO2, 156 +/- 178 mm Hg; pH, 7.16 +/- 0.23. No adverse effects were reported. We conclude that the ability of the PtL to deliver effective ventilation is comparable with that of the ET as measured by arterial PCO2. When the ET method of airway control cannot be achieved, the PtL airway offers an effective alternative.