Anaesthetic management of a patient in prone position-advantage of proseal laryngeal mask airway along with review of literature

摘要

General anaesthesia for surgical procedures requiring prone position consists of induction and tracheal intubation in supine position on a trolley and then the patient is turned prone on the operation table and positioned carefully. Even though this approach is familiar to anaesthesiologists, it is time consuming and requires shift of manpower from other tasks to properly position the patient. Alternative to this technique is to ask the patient to position him/ herself in the prone position on the operating table and then inducing anaesthesia with laryngeal mask airway. The major advantages of laryngeal mask airway in prone position are easy reinsertion, a clear airway provided during the recovery phase from anaesthesia and less sequelae as compared to that commonly accompanying tracheal intubation and accidental tracheal extubation.