Session Key Points

  • The laryngeal mask airway is considered by many to be the single most important advance in anaesthesia care in the last two decades
  • The laryngeal mask is used for more than 65% of general anaesthetics in the UK. In a career, an anaesthetist can expect to insert well in excess of 12 000 laryngeal masks
  • Correct function and safety of use of a laryngeal mask is intimately bound up with good insertion technique. Sadly, many anaesthetists have poor basic insertion technique
  • Mastering correct insertion technique is therefore a fundamental anaesthesia skill
  • This skill is complemented by a full understanding of the limitations, complications and advanced uses of laryngeal mask airway