SummaryWe compared the efficacy of the inflatable cuff of the LMA Supreme TM against the non-inflatable i-gel TM cuff in providing an adequate seal for laparoscopic surgery in the Trendelenburg position in 100 female patients. There was no difference in our primary outcome, oropharyngeal leak pressure, between the LMA Supreme and the i-gel (mean (SD) 26.4 (5.1) vs 25.0 (5.7) cmH 2 O, respectively; p = 0.18). Forty-seven (94%) LMA Supremes and 48 (96%) i-gels were successfully inserted on the first attempt, with similar ease, and comparable times to the first capnograph trace (mean (SD) 14.3 (4.7) s for the LMA Supreme vs 15.4 (8.2) s for the i-gel; p = 0.4). Gastric tube insertion was easier and achieved more quickly with the LMA Supreme vs the i-gel (9.0 (2.5) s vs 15.1 (7.3) s, respectively; p < 0.001). After creation of the pneumoperitoneum, there was a smaller difference between expired and inspired tidal volumes with the LMA Supreme (21.5 (15.2) ml) than with the i-gel (31.2 (23.5) ml; p = 0.009). There was blood on removal of two LMA Supremes and one i-gel. Four patients in the LMA Supreme group and one patient in the i-gel group experienced mild postoperative sore throat.

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Type 1 Arnold-Chiari Malformation is associated with prolapse of the cerebellar tonsils into or below the level of the foramen magnum and is usually diagnosed in adults. There are no current guidelines for the management of patients with a residual Type I Arnold-Chiari Malformation, planned for a Caesarean section under spinal neuraxial anaesthesia. The paucity of literature on this topic presents as a management dilemma. We report a case of a term parturient with Type 1 Arnold-Chiari Malformation, following surgical decompression four years earlier, with a residual syringomyelia who underwent an elective Caesarean section under spinal neuraxial anaesthesia. This case highlights that multidisciplinary management and an early anaesthetic consult is of paramount importance in the outcome of the patient, and that spinal neuraxial anaesthesia can be considered as a safe anaesthetic option.

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