Effectiveness of the Baska mask versus the i-gel device in adult patients under general anesthesia: a systematic review protocol

Objective: The objective of this review is to evaluate the ease of use, effectiveness of airway management, and incidence of perioperative complications of the Baska mask compared to the i-gel device in adult patients undergoing elective procedures with general anesthesia. Introduction: Supraglottic airway devices have been widely used for airway management in patients undergoing various surgical procedures under general anesthesia. The Baska mask and the i-gel device are two commonly used second-generation supraglottic airway devices that offer a noninvasive alternative to the endotracheal tube given the ease of insertion, rapidity, low risk of postoperative complications, and reduced autonomic imbalance during insertion. However, there is a dearth of studies comparing the clinical performance of these two devices. Inclusion criteria: This review will consider studies with adults aged 18 years or older who underwent elective surgical procedures under general anesthesia and received ventilation with the Baska mask or i-gel. Only randomized controlled trials comparing the two devices will be considered. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, OpenGrey, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses will be searched to identify both published and unpublished studies. Titles and abstracts will be screened to identify potentially relevant papers. Retrieval of full-text studies, assessment of methodological quality, and data extraction will be performed independently by two reviewers. Data will be synthesized using statistical meta-analysis with heterogeneity of data being assessed using the standard chi-squared and I (2) tests, if possible. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020168774.