Modified Laryngeal Mask Airway--a useful aid to fiberoptic intubation

Modified Laryngeal Mask (MLMA) aided fiberoptic intubation (FOI) using larger than 6 mm ID endotracheal tube was studied in 25 adult patients and compared to unaided FOI in another 25 patients. MLMA aided FOI was successful in 96% cases compared to 56% in the unaided group. Furthermore, the time to successful intubation was increased by 67.1% when FOI was attempted without MLMA aid which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). However, maximum fluctuations in the heart rate and mean arterial pressure in the immediate post-intubation period were statistically insignificant between the groups. We conclude that MLMA not only adds to success rate of FOI but also significantly reduce the FOI time in adult patients.