[Taste loss following the use of the laryngeal mask airway].

The laryngeal mask airway can be used safely to manage the airway. However, it is associated with a few complications. We report a case of taste loss following the use of the laryngeal mask airway in a 20-year-old man. He was scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation of fractured bones. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with nitrous oxide, oxygen and sevoflurane. The patient complained of loss of taste on the first postoperative day. Taste loss lasted for six months. We conclude that loss of taste was caused by lingual nerve injury associated with malposition of the laryngeal mask airway.