THE USE OF THE LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAY IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

Airway maintenance with the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was evaluated and compared to the endotracheal (ET) tube in 27 former premature infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) during second stage open-sky vitrectomy. The children were randomly assigned to a study group and anesthetized with halothane in N2O:O-2. The airway was maintained with the LMA (n = 13) or the ET tube (n = 14). Respiratory and hemodynamic variables were recorded. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were noted. The respiratory rate and the end-tidal CO2 were significantly higher in the LMA group as compared with the ET tube group (P < 0.01); however, the pulse rate and both systolic and diastolic blood pressures throughout the surgical procedure were lower in the LMA group (P < 0.05). The incidence of coughing, with and without desaturation, wheezing, and hoarseness in the postoperative period was higher in the ET tube group. Awakening, after discontinuation of the anesthetic (P < 0.01) was more rapid, and home discharge time (P < 0.002) was shorter in the LMA group (P < 0.0025), although our study design could not isolate the use of the LMA as the factor responsible for this. This study in patients with mild chronic lung disease demonstrated that the LMA can maintain a satisfactory airway during minor surgical procedures in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and result in fewer respiratory adverse effects than with the ET tube.