Laryngeal tube placement on manikin by laypersons: is there a possibility for 'public access airway management'?

Mouth-to-mouth ventilation is often refused by laypersons because of hygienic reasons. Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) might reduce the adverse effects of mouth-to-mouth ventilation. We tried to verify the possibility for untrained laypersons to use SADs properly after having read written instructions only. The participants were told to ventilate a manikin using a laryngeal tube (LT). The time to ventilation and the rate of success were recorded. After a practical skill demonstration, a second placement of the LT was performed. A successful placement of the LT was achieved by 53% after the first and 98% after the second attempt. Time to ventilation was 124 s (±45 s) for the first attempt and 12 s (±2.75 s) for the second attempt. Delivering ventilation through an SAD is a reasonable way for laypersons. After a prior hands-on training, the placement can be performed in an adequate time frame with high success rates.