THE BRAIN LARYNGEAL MASK - AN ALTERNATIVE TO DIFFICULT INTUBATION

We report the case of a young man undergoing fixation of bilateral mandibular fractures, where the anaesthetist was unable to intubate. A Brain laryngeal mask was employed, thus enabling surgery to proceed. This relatively new device enabled the airway to be safeguarded whilst preserving reasonable surgical access for the attachment of Erich arch bars and a four hole osteosynthetic bone plate. The surgical and anaesthetic procedures are summarised. The laryngeal mask is described and its performance and limitations are discussed. We believe this to be the first report of mandibular fracture fixation performed with a Brain laryngeal mask in situ. © 1990 Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved.