laryngeal mask airway


la·ryn·ge·al mask

(lă-rin'jē-ăl mask) Oral airway with an inflatable cuff at its lower end that forms a seal above the laryngeal inlet rather than within the larynx. Used in prehospital care as an airway adjunct instead of an endotracheal tube.
Synonym(s): laryngeal mask airway.

laryngeal mask airway

Abbreviation: LMA
An airway that can be blindly inserted into the hypopharynx to use when advanced airway control is needed during procedures that require brief anesthesia. It consists of an airway tube with a proximal cuff, which holds the middle of the tube in place at the base of the tongue, and a distal cuff to fix the end of the tube in the trachea.

CAUTION!

It should not be used in patients at high risk of aspiration.
Synonym: laryngeal tracheal airwaySee also: airway