Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme vs. the Spritztube tracheal cannula in anaesthetised adult patients: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The Spritztube is a new supraglottic airway device combining the ability to allow extraglottic ventilation of the lungs with the opportunity to perform fibreoptic-assisted intubation. OBJECTIVES: To compare the Spritztube tracheal cannula with the Laryngeal Mask Airway Supreme (LMA-S) in anaesthetised adult patients. DESIGN: A single-centre, randomised controlled study. SETTING: Tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: Mechanically ventilated patients undergoing elective surgery in the supine position under general anaesthesia were included. Main exclusion criteria were a history of, or predicted, difficult airway management according to SIAARTI guidelines and absence of written informed consent. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received the LMA-S or Spritztube tracheal cannula to facilitate ventilation of the lungs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Successful placement (primary outcome), time required for insertion, number of attempts, subjective assessment of ease of insertion, safety and incidence of complications were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty seven patients were allocated to the LMA-S or Spritztube group, respectively, a total of 334 patients. In the LMA-S group, the device insertion failed in nine patients, compared with none in the Spritztube group (P = 0.002). Spritztube insertion was easy in 100% of cases compared with 94.6% of the cases in the LMA-S group (P = 0.03). The number of attempts was significantly higher with the LMA-S compared with the Spritztube (P = 0.0007), whereas the insertion times were comparable (P = 0.06). Except for the incidence of blood-staining, which was higher in the LMA-S group (P = 0.01), the number of complications was comparable in the two groups. CONCLUSION: The Spritztube was as effective as the LMA-S in maintaining the airway with all patients being successfully ventilated without difficulty. The success rate of achieving a patent airway was comparable between the groups, with a similar occurrence of complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03443219.

What about Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) Foam in Modern-Contemporary Art? Insights into the Unaged and Naturally Aged Material by a Multi-Analytical Approach.

The ageing behavior of phenol formaldehyde (PF) foam, a material increasingly used in modern-contemporary art, was investigated by a multi-analytical approach. PF foams with open- and closed-cell structures were selected and analyzed in their unaged and naturally indoor-aged state by employing optical microscopy (OM) and fiber optical reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) for assessing their morphology and color alteration. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µ-FTIR) was used for determining chemical changes and oxidation processes, and the acidity was monitored by pH measurements. The results clearly showed the extreme sensitivity of both open- and closed-cell PF foams to conditions typically found in indoor museums. OM indicated that the cells of the foams are prone to disrupt, and a tendency towards a red color shift was observed with FORS. µ-FTIR revealed the formation of quinone groups resulting from oxidation reactions. Finally, a slight decrease in the acidity was found by pH measurements.