[Clinical assessment of laryngeal mask airway in general anesthesia with spontaneous breathing].

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a new form of oropharyngeal airway that provides an alternative to endotracheal intubation and face mask anesthesia in certain cases. Once the patient is adequately anesthetised, it can be inserted blindly without recourse to laryngoscopy. The advantages over standard mask anesthesia are: better airway control, minimal leakage of anesthetic gases, and it frees the anesthetist's hands, as no mandibular support is needed. LMA does not guarantee against the risk of aspiration and it is not recommended for use in patients who may have risk of gastric regurgitation. Our preliminary study revealed that a clear and clinical satisfactory airway was obtained in 98.2% of patients. According to the intraoperative respiratory minute volume and arterial blood gases, the patency of the airway did not deteriorate during the course of the anesthesia. Blood pressure and heart rate were compared on induction in group I and II. Succinylcholine 1 mg/kg, thiopentone 4-6 mg/kg and fentanyl 2 micrograms/kg were used in group I while using the same dosage of succinylcholine and thiopentone without fentanyl for group II. We found no significant differences in vital signs between the two groups.