Safety and Efficacy of Pediatric General Anesthesia by Laryngeal Mask Airway Without Intravenous Access

The safety and efficacy of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) has been reported by numerous large-scale studies. However, they do not address the issue of whether an intravenous (IV) is required for pediatric general anesthesia (GA) where access is challenging due to anatomical considerations and a lack of cooperation. The aims of this study are to determine whether pediatric GA by LMA without IV access affected placement rates, procedure times and rates of anesthetic complications. Children who met these criteria at the UIC Surgicenter in the two year period prior to August 30, 2005 were selected. A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine patient demographics, ASA class, procedure, placement success, IV placed if any, time to incision, and any anesthetic complications. 241 patients without IV access and 41 patients with IV access were included. No significant differences were found between the groups in the rates of LMA placement or anesthetic complications. Significant differences were found in times to incision overall and for ophthalmology exams under anesthesia and lacrimal duct probings. Pediatric GA by LMA without IV access demonstrated a similarly high placement rate, shorter procedure times and a low rate of complications in comparison with the control group.