Ayoob Ali*

Department of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University, United States of America

*Corresponding Author: Ayoob Ali, Department of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University, United States of America.

Received: June 25, 2021; Published: September 06, 2021

Citation: Ayoob Ali. “Innovative Neonatal Laryngeal Mask for Airway Management in Piglets: a New Device for Potential use in Preterm and Term Neonates". Acta Scientific Paediatrics 4.10 (2021): 03-08.

Abstract

Background: Endotracheal intubation is an intricate process critical to maintaining airways during advanced neonatal resuscitation and administering surfactant to treat respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. Although modern medical technology has created less strenuous means of maintaining airways during general anesthesia, these tools present evident limitations in many pre-term and full-term babies. We examined the safety and efficacy of using a new device, the Neonatal Laryngeal Mask (NLM), to manage airways while inducing surgical plane anesthesia in piglets as well as facilitate tracheal catheterization to administer medication into the lungs.

Methods: Six piglets of domestic breed aged 3 - 7 days old and weighing 2300 - 3000 grams were used in this study. We monitored physiological parameters including, core body temperature, heart rate, end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO₂) and oxygen saturation (SaO₂) tracing before and after insertion of the NLM. Postmortem autopsy was conducted to examine the trachea and lungs to determine the extent of the spread of methylene blue as a measure of successful catheterization.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences present while maintaining normal physiological parameters before and after NLM insertion. This was noted when examining heart rate (U-value 14, p = 0.416), average core body temperatures (U-value 18, p = 0.468), SaO₂ levels (U-value 14, p = 0.315), and EtCO₂ levels (U-value 11, p = 0.416) in all piglets. Postmortem analysis confirmed the presence of methylene blue in the entire airway from the trachea to the lungs, reflecting proper catheter placement through the NLM into the lungs.

Conclusion: The new NLM device provides a safe and effective method for maintaining a patent airway and catheterizing a model system for pre-term and full-term infants. These findings are promising towards mitigating the current risks associated with caring for these populations and support further examination within human subjects as an investigational medical device.

Keywords: Neonatal Airway; Neonatal Laryngeal Mask; Piglet Anesthesia; Airway Management; Tracheal Catheterization

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Copyright: © 2021 Ayoob Ali. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.