title: Improving patient safety after rigid bronchoscopy in adults: laryngeal mask airway versus face mask - a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are still no clear guidelines in the literature on per procedural bronchoscopic management for anesthesiologists, and few relevant datasets are available. To obtain rapid recovery from anesthesia, it is often necessary to keep patients in the recovery room for several hours until they become clinically stable. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) enables better respiratory and hemodynamic recovery than the oxygen face mask (FM) in patients undergoing rigid bronchoscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients undergoing elective bronchoscopy of the upper airway were randomized to ventilation assistance with FM or LMA after a rigid bronchoscopy procedure under general anesthesia. The primary endpoint was duration of post-surgical recovery and the secondary endpoints were postoperative hemodynamic and respiratory parameters. Assessment of the study endpoints was performed by an intensive care specialist blinded to the method of ventilation used. The statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher's Exact test for nominal data and the Student's t-test for continuous data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in post-procedural time between the two groups (P=0.972). The recovery parameters were significantly better in the LMA group than in the FM group, with significantly fewer desaturation, hypotensive, and bradycardic events (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the LMA may be safer and more comfortable than the FM in patients undergoing rigid bronchoscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy Centre, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy Centre, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galzerano
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine, AO Santa Maria della Misericordia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cicchitto
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, AO Santa Maria della Misericordia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puma
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy Centre, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito Aldo
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Peduto
keywords: anesthesiology; face mask; laryngeal mask airway; rigid bronchoscopy; safety