Comparison of the I-Gel and the Baska mask in patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia

Background and aim The Baska mask (BM) and I-Gel are two commonly used supraglottic devices for airways. These devices provide higher seal pressure than the standard laryngeal mask airway; however, their first-time insertion success rates are lower. This work aimed to compare IG versus BM during elective surgeries under general anesthesia. Patients and methods This is a prospective randomized double-blind comparative study, carried out at Al-Azhar University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt, from February to October 2024 on 80 patients conducting surgery duration of less than 2 h. Patients were divided into two equal groups: the IG group, maintained by using the IG airway and the BM group, maintained by using the BM airway during surgeries. The oropharyngeal leak pressure, and hemodynamic changes, end-tidal carbon dioxide, insertion time, successful placement, and postoperative complications were measured. Results The time of insertion was significantly less in the BM group than IG group ( P <0.05). The OLP showed no significant difference among both groups. The number of insertions trials and the ease of insertion showed insignificant differences between the two groups. Similarly, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, and end-tidal carbon dioxide levels were not different between the two groups. There was no significant difference in blood-stained devices, laryngeal spasm, cough, nausea, and vomiting among the two groups. Aspiration, sore throat, dysphagia, and dysphonia did not occur in any patients in either group. Conclusions Both BM and IG devices are suitable for elective surgeries under general anesthesia without significant changes in hemodynamics, OLP, count of insertion attempts, ease of insertion, and occurrence of complications with the superiority of IG over BM in insertion time.