Airway complications in infants: comparison of laryngeal mask airway and the facemask-oral airway

Purpose: To compare the incidence of airway complications in children less than one year of age whose airways were maintained during anesthesia with e ither 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 grou p. All infants were undergoing minor general, urological or orthopedic proc edures, Anesthesia was induced and maintained with halothane in nitrous oxi de 50% and oxygen. The airway was. removed in both groups when the infant w as awake. The occurrence of airway complications (breath-holding, coughing, laryngospasm, secretions, obstruction and oxygen saturation < 95%) at indu ction of anesthesia, intraoperatively and during emergence from anesthesia was recorded. Results: Airway complications occurred perioperaively in 15 of 27 infants i n the LMA group and in 5 of 22 infants in the FM-OA group (P :0.02). Conclusion: In infants, the use of the LMA is associated with an increased incidence of airway complications compared with the use of the FM-OA.