The laryngeal mask airway: tool for airway management.

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is possibly the most significant recent advance in airway management. Designed to be passed into the hypopharynx without a laryngoscope, the LMA was conceived after bioengineering principles were applied to postmortem specimens of the adult larynx. The LMA has gained widespread, worldwide popularity and was approved for use in the United States in 1992. Sound knowledge of this device is important for all health care workers involved in airway management because it may become a standard item of resuscitation equipment when intubation is difficult. Nurses in the PACU may also be involved in management of anesthetized patients who still have an LMA in place. This article acquaints the reader with the LMA; reviews its design, uses, and limitations; and details some of the controversies related to its use in the PACU. Policies about the LMA need to be defined by PACU nurses and anesthesiologists according to the best information available and the particular requirements of the individual PACU.