ABSTRACT
Sudden airway loss during surgery in a laterally positionedpatient may have hazardous consequences. We studiedwhether the intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) facilitatesfibreoptic guided tracheal intubation in patients positioned inthe lateral position. Anesthesia was induced with propofol,fentanyl, and rocuronium in 90 consenting patients of eithersex, weighing 50-70 Kg undergoing surgery. Patients wererandomized to three groups (n=30 each); Group 1 (Controlgroup) Supine position, or positioned on their right or left sides(Group 2 and Group 3 respectively) before induction of generalanesthesia. ILMA insertion and fibreoptic guided intubation wasperformed in that position. The grade of the glottic view, timerequired for intubation and number of adjusting maneuversused were recorded. Data were compared by ANOVA, multiple‘t’ test and chi(2) test. Demographic and airway measureswere similar in the three groups. The time required for ILMAinsertion (<30 secs) and success rate was similar in threegroups. The time to intubation was also similar ineach group (15.24±3.4719.68±17.29 secs, 19.35±11.83 secsin Groups 1, 2, 3 respectively; p = > 0.05), as was intubationsuccess (97.7%). Hence ILMA offers a frequent success rateand a clinically acceptable intubation time (<1 min) even in thelateral position.