Complications and Fiberoptic Assessment of Size 1 Laryngeal Mask Airway

• Published in: Anesthesia and analgesia Vol. 76; no. 3; pp. 527 - 529
• Main Authors: Dubreuil, Marc, Laffon, Marc, Plaud, Benoit, Penon, Catherine, Ecoffey, Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD International Anesthesia Research Society 01-03-1993; Lippincott
• Subjects: Airway Obstruction - epidemiology; Airway Obstruction - etiology; Anesthesia; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Anesthesia: equipment, devices; Apnea - epidemiology; Apnea - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchial Spasm - epidemiology; Bronchial Spasm - etiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Cough - epidemiology; Cough - etiology; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Fiber Optic Technology; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Laryngeal Masks - adverse effects; Laryngismus - epidemiology; Laryngismus - etiology; Medical sciences; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Prospective Studies; Human; Size; Mask; Anesthesia; Complication; Larynx; Apparatus; Child; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0003-2999; 1526-7598
• DOI: 10.1213/00000539-199303000-00012

In pediatric practice, complications due to the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) have been studied with size 2 LMA, but not with size 1 LMA. We, therefore, compared prospectively the complications induced by LMA size 1 and 2 in 141 children aged 21 days to 11 yr. Intraoperative and lowest Spo2 values after removal of LMA were recorded. The following complications were recordedcough, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, apnea, and airway obstruction. In 14 patients in the size 1 LMA group and 26 patients in the size 2 LMA group, pharyngolaryngeal structures were checked with fiberoptic examination. The number of attempts, complications, intraoperative Spo2, and lowest Spo2 values were similar when using size 1 and size 2 LMA. Fiberoptic examination of size 1 LMA showed a high incidence of impinging of the epiglottis in the LMA bars without airway obstruction. In conclusion, there was no difference in the complication rate between the two pediatric sizes of LMA when used in pediatric patients.