title: The laryngeal mask airway in experimental pig anaesthesia.
abstract: The pig is used as a large animal model in many research projects. Standard practice for airway maintenance under general anaesthesia is using endotracheal (ET) intubation after intravenous induction to a near surgical plane. This is a technically demanding skill, requiring the assistance of an experienced technician. A technique is required which simplifies pig anaesthesia. This study examined the feasibility and potential advantages of using the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in 10 pigs during laparotomy under spontaneous breathing anaesthesia. The results show that the LMA can be inserted rapidly, with minimal time for airway control by researchers relatively inexperienced in anaesthesia and is associated with few complications. By removing the need for intravenous induction, an entire step in the anaesthetic process is removed. The LMA designed for humans fits well in the pig hypopharynx; all pigs could be manually ventilated with no detectable gas leak. Although the pigs in this study were spontaneously breathing it is proposed that the LMA should be further investigated in studies of artificially ventilated pigs.
authors.affiliation: University of Adelaide Department of Surgery, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wemyss-Holden
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Rudkin
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Maddern
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003002:Clonixin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000662:veterinary; D017214:Laryngeal Masks / Q000662:veterinary*; D010092:Oximetry / Q000662:veterinary; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014991:Xylazine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D000700:Analgesics; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D014991:Xylazine; C014557:flunixin; D007649:Ketamine; D003002:Clonixin