Effect of IAM With an I-gel® on Ventilation Parameters in Simulated Pediatric OHCA

Pediatric cardiac arrest occurs most in the prehospital setting. Most of them are due to respiratory failure (e.g., trauma, drowning, respiratory distress), where hypoxia leads to cardiac arrest. Generally, emergency medical services (EMS) first use basic airway management techniques i.e., the use of a bag-valve-mask (BVM) device, to restore oxygenation in pediatric OHCA victims. However, these devices present many drawbacks and limitations. Intermediate airway management, i.e., the use of SGA devices, especially the i-gel® has several advantages. It has been shown to enhance both circulatory and ventilatory parameters. There is increasing evidence that IAM devices can safely be used in children. In two pediatric studies of OHCA, American paramedics had significantly higher success rates with SGA devices than with TI. A neonatal animal model showed that the use of SGA was feasible and non-inferior to TI in this population. However, data regarding the effect of IAM with an i-gel® versus the use of a BVM on ventilation parameters during pediatric OHCA is missing. The hypothesis underlying this study is that, in case of pediatric OHCA, early insertion of an i-gel® device without prior BVM ventilation should improve ventilation parameters in comparison with the standard approach consisting in BVM ventilations.