JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kihara, S. Articles by Hosoya, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kihara, S. Articles by Hosoya, N. Related Collections Airway Equipment

---

GENERAL ARTICLES

Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway Size Selection: A Randomized Triple Crossover Study in Paralyzed, Anesthetized Male and Female Adult Patients

S. Kihara, MD^*, Y. Yaguchi, MD^*, J. Brimacombe, FRCA, MD, S. Watanabe, MD, PhD^*, N. Taguchi, MD^*, and N. Hosoya, MD^*

*Department of Anaesthesia, Pain Clinic, and Clinical Toxicology, Mito Saiseikai General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan; and University of Queensland, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Cairns Base Hospital, The Esplanade, Cairns, Australia

Address correspondence and reprint requests to J. Brimacombe, FRCA, MD, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Cairns Base Hospital, The Esplanade, Cairns 4870, Australia. Address e-mail to jbrimacombe{at}austarnet.com.au

We determined the optimal size of intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILM) for ventilation and blind tracheal intubation in men and women. We also determined the distance the tracheal tube needs to protrude beyond the distal aperture to ensure that the cuff is through the vocal cords. Fifty male and 50 female anesthetized, paralyzed patients (ASA physical status I or II, aged 18–80 yr) were studied. Three operators (A, B, and C) were involved for the purposes of blinding. The size 3, 4, or 5 ILM was inserted into each patient in random order by Operator A, and the quality of ventilation was scored (adequate, suboptimal, or failed) by Operator B. The fiberoptic position (correct, too shallow, or too deep) and the distance between the distal aperture and the vocal cords was determined by Operator B. A single attempt at blind intubation was made by Operator C. Operators B and C were blinded to the size of the ILM. Operator C was also blinded to the information recorded by Operator B. All ILMs were inserted into the laryngopharynx at the first attempt. For men and women, the ventilation score was smaller for the Size 3 than the Size 4 or 5 (all: P < 0.002). For men, correct positioning was less common with the Size 3 than the Size 4 or 5 (both: P < 0.02). For women, correct positioning was similar among sizes. For men, tracheal intubation was successful less frequently with the Size 3 (84%) than the Size 4 (100%) or 5 (98%) (both: P 0.01). For women, tracheal intubation success was similar among sizes (Size 3, 4, and 5: 86%, 96%, and 92%, respectively). Intubation was always successful if the ILM was correctly positioned and always failed if it was too shallow or deep. In both male and female patients, the distance between the distal aperture and the vocal cords increased with increasing ILM size (all: P < 0.04) and patient height (P < 0.0001) and was always longer for men (all: P < 0.0001). The overall mean distance (95% confidence interval) that the tracheal tube needed to protrude was 10–12 cm (8–13 cm) in men and 8–11 cm (8–12 cm) in women. We conclude that for men, the Size 4 and 5 ILMs are better than the Size 3 for ventilation and blind intubation. For women, the Size 4 and 5 ILMs are better than the Size 3 for ventilation, but there is no difference among sizes for blind intubation. The length the tracheal tube must protrude from the distal aperture to ensure that the cuff is completely through the vocal cords is 8–13 cm, depending on ILM size, the tracheal tube size, and the sex and height of the patient.

IMPLICATIONS: For men, the Size 4 and 5 intubating laryngeal mask airways are better than the Size 3 for ventilation and blind tracheal intubation. For women, the Size 4 and 5 are better than the Size 3 for ventilation, but there is no difference among sizes for blind intubation. The length the tracheal tube must protrude from the distal aperture of the intubating laryngeal mask airway to ensure that the cuff is completely through the vocal cords is 8–13 cm, depending on the size of the mask and tracheal tube and on the sex and height of the patient.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Kihara and J. Brimacombe Sex-Based ProSealTM Laryngeal Mask Airway Size Selection: A Randomized Crossover Study of Anesthetized, Paralyzed Male and Female Adult Patients Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2003; 97(1): 280 - 284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway: What Size Is Right? Journal Watch Emergency Medicine, June 12, 2002; 2002(612): 3 - 3. [Full Text]

Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999