Airway complications in infants: comparison of laryngeal mask airway and the facemask-oral airway.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the incidence of airway complications in children less than one year of age whose airways were maintained during anesthesia with either a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) or a facemask and oral airway (FM-OA).


METHODS
We randomized 49 - ASA class 1&2 - infants to an LMA or FM-OA group. All infants were undergoing minor general, urological or orthopedic procedures. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with halothane in nitrous oxide 50% and oxygen. The airway was removed in both groups when the infant was awake. The occurrence of airway complications (breath-holding, coughing, laryngospasm, secretions, obstruction and oxygen saturation < 95%) at induction of anesthesia, intraoperatively and during emergence from anesthesia was recorded.


RESULTS
Airway complications occurred perioperaively in 15 of 27 infants in the LMA group and in 5 of 22 infants in the FM-OA group (P: 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
In infants, the use of the LMA is associated with an increased incidence of airway complications compared with the use of the FM-OA.
Harnett
M
M
Department of Anaesthesia, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland. mharnett@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
Kinirons
B
B
Heffernan
A
A
Motherway
C
C
Casey
W
W
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D017214:Laryngeal Masks / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007826:Laryngismus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000187:drug effects; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*
D010100:Oxygen