At a recent course we conducted an informal study of the King LT-D Airway. Utilizing the difficult airway head on an ALS mannequin, we had a single student manage the airway by pre-oxygenating, then inserting an airway device and providing positive-pressure ventilations.

First of all, the study wasn’t fair. Students had completed the Washington State Combitube® course, had ample opportunity to use the Combitube® or EasyTube® throughout the previous 20 days of the course, while only having a fifteen minute orientation to the King LT-D. Second, in addition, we had a 20cc syringe to fill the King LT, instead of the standard syringe, which pushes all 60cc of air in a single shot.

With a dual-lumen airway device, I generally have a difficult time getting a proper seal on the difficult airway head. That said, I was blown away at how fast a student could secure a solid airway with the King LT-D. We had 11 different students individually attempt to get an patent airway with the King LT-D and timed the interval from the last breath delivered during pre-oxygenation to the first breath with chest rise.

Our results were as follows:

King LT-D®
Average Time to First Breath: 11.4 seconds
Success Rate: 100%

Combitube®/Easy-Tube®
Average Time to First Breath: 47.3 seconds
Success Rate: 63.6%

I personally think that the King LT-D will rapidly become the de facto standard in BLS airway management and the rescue device of choice for paramedics. Our anesthesiologist was very impressed with the King LT-D since it is simple and seals very well. For field use it is lightweight, less prone to user error, and substantially faster to insert.