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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Angulation of the Airway Tube in the AMBU Laryngeal Mask Could Be Responsible for Improved Insertion Success

Visiting International Associate Professor Department of Anesthesiology; Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Sonia.Vaida{at}comcast.net; svaida{at}psu.edu (Vaida) Riverside Anesthesia Associates; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Yodfat)

To the Editor:

Hagberg et al. (1) recently reported successful insertion rates of 92.4% on first attempt and 100% on second attempt for the new AMBU Laryngeal Mask. We think that the 90 degree angle incorporated into the airway tube contributes significantly to this high insertion success rate.

As previously described by Yodfat (2), creating a 90 degree angle with a rigid stylet close to the laryngeal portion of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) improves the rate of successful insertion. Jaffe and Brock-Utne (3) described a similar method for the LMA insertion using a stylet folded in half and also bent nearly 90 degrees. These data suggest that a 90 degrees angle close to the junction of the airway tube and mask, either by design, as in the Ambu Laryngeal Mask, or by inserting a rigid stylet, simplifies the insertion technique and improves the rate of successful insertion.

Footnotes

Dr. Hagberg does not wish to respond.

REFERENCES

1. Hagberg CA, Jensen FC, Genzwuerker HV, et al. A multicenter study of the ambu laryngeal mask in nonparalyzed, anesthetized patients. Anesth Analg 2005;101:1862–6.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Yodfat UA. Modified technique for laryngeal mask airway insertion. Anesth Analg 1999;89:1327.[Free Full Text]
3. Jaffe RA, Brock-Utne JG. A modification of the Yodfat laryngeal mask airway insertion technique. J Clin Anesth. 2002;14: 462–3.[Medline]

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