Journal of oral and maxillofacial surgery : official journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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J. Oral Maxillofac. Surg. · Sep 2004
Comparative StudyFiberoptic assessment of laryngeal mask airway placement: blind insertion versus direct visual epiglottoscopy.
The study aims to compare the frequency of ideal anatomic placement of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) using the traditional blind insertion approach with one where placement was facilitated by the use of a laryngoscope (epiglottoscopy). ⋯ One hundred thirty-one of 132 patients had no airway difficulties after LMA placement with either blind (classic) or direct visual epiglottoscopy (laryngoscopy). A fiberoptic scope proved to be a valuable tool to assess the results. When ideal placement is either highly desirable or necessary, the direct visual technique is considered to be a better choice for placement than the blind, classic method.