PubMedDate not supplied
OBJECTIVE: To compare two ways of inserting laryngeal airway masks: uninflated and partially inflated to 75% of the volume, as recommended by manufacturers. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We studied 60 ASA I-II patients scheduled for outpatient surgery under general anesthesia with numbers 3 or 4 laryngeal masks, after having obtained informed consent from the patients (or parents in the case of minors). The patients were randomly assigned to two groups. In group A the masks were inserted inflated to 75% of volume as recommended by manufacturers, whereas in group B deflated masks were inserted as described by Brain. Anesthesia was standardized for all patients. One patient was withdrawn from the study when a technical error was detected. We recorded the presence of criteria predictive of difficult airway management, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate at four times (baseline, before and after induction and after insertion of the mask), number of insertion tries, final mask volume needed for adequate ventilation, need for an additional dose of the hypnotic drug and complications. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences between the two insertion methods were found. Difficult airway management criteria were unrelated to difficulty of mask insertion. Correct insertion of an uninflated mask proved impossible in one patient, in whom we were then able to insert an inflated mask. CONCLUSION: No differences were found between inflated insertion and Brain's uninflated insertion technique. We believe that inflated mask insertion might be useful when uninflated insertion proves impossible.