Safety, efficacy and airway complications of the flexible laryngeal mask airway in functional endoscopic sinus surgery: A retrospective study of 6661 patients

OBJECTIVES: Although the flexible laryngeal mask airway (FLMA) provides considerable advantages in head and neck procedures, little is known about its safety and efficacy in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the success rate of FLMA and relevant airway complications in FESS under general anaesthesia. METHODS: A retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent FESS for chronic rhinosinusitis was performed from 2015 to 2019. All patients scheduled for FLMA ventilation were identified. Patient characteristics, length of the surgery, FLMA size, failed FLMA cases requiring endotracheal intubation, immediate adverse airway events and delayed airway injuries were recorded. The primary outcomes included the FLMA success rate, which was defined as primary success after induction and final success after the whole surgical procedure. The secondary outcomes were specific clinical factors associated with FLMA failure and airway complications related to FLMA usage. RESULTS: Of the 6661 patients included in our study, primary success was achieved in 6572 (98.7%), and final success was achieved in 6512 (97.8%). Failure occurred in 89 patients (1.3%) during induction, in 14 (0.2%) during surgical preparation and in 46 (0.7%) during the intraoperative procedure. All patients with failed FLMA ventilation were successfully switched to endotracheal intubation. Male sex, advanced age, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (ASA) and higher body mass index (BMI) were independent risk factors associated with failed FLMA. Immediate adverse respiratory events were observed in 0.85% of the patients, and delayed airway injuries associated with use of FLMA were observed in 0.07%. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study demonstrates a high success rate for FLMA (97.8% in 6661 patients undergoing FESS). Adverse airway events and injuries associated with FLMA are rare, but clinicians should remain vigilant so that early diagnosis and prompt treatment can be provided.