Use of the laryngeal mask airway in the prone position.

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a supraglottic medical device used to maintain a patent airway during surgery or a medical emergency. Its initial use was as a means of providing general anesthesia without an endotracheal tube (ETT) while avoiding the need to hold an anesthesia mask in place. As clinical experience has developed with the device, the LMA has been used for a wider range of surgical procedures. Although endotracheal intubation is generally used for airway management during prone surgical procedures, there is accumulating clinical experience with the use of the LMA for prone surgical procedures. We present a 6-year-old child who presented for bilateral hamstring tendon releases and Achilles tendon lengthening. General anesthesia was provided using an LMA in the prone position. Previous reports of the use of the LMA for prone surgical procedures are reviewed and its applications in such situations are discussed.