Are any doctors here using the Laryngeal Mask Airway(LMA) for sedation?

[letsfixthis]

I was just wondering if any doctors here used the Laryngeal Mask Airway(LMA) for sedation?

Does this machine allow you to breath on your own while under general anesthesia?

Thanks.

[George Pope, M.D.]

My anesthesiologists use a laryngeal mask airway whenever they can; we prefer that to intubation with an endotracheal tube. Specifically, most of my gynecomastia patients have laryngeal mask anesthesia.

Patients usually breathe on their own during the entire procedure with this type of airway.  There's only a fine line between heavy sedation (twilight anesthesia) and general anesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway where a patient is breathing on his own.

Dr. Pope, MD

[letsfixthis]

[quote author=Dr. Pope link=topic=26980.msg177013#msg177013 date=1358965170]
My anesthesiologists use a laryngeal mask airway whenever they can; we prefer that to intubation with an endotracheal tube. Specifically, most of my gynecomastia patients have laryngeal mask anesthesia.

Patients usually breathe on their own during the entire procedure with this type of airway.  There's only a fine line between heavy sedation (twilight anesthesia) and general anesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway where a patient is breathing on his own.

Dr. Pope, MD
[/quote]

I have always heard that general anesthesia means you can't breath on your own but twilight means that you can. Is the Laryngeal Mask Airway what allows you to breath on your own during general anesthesia?

Does this make lessen the risk of genera anesthesia when you can breath on your own?

I feel much more comfortable knowing that I will be breathing on my own.

I recently had a orthopedics arthroscopic surgery and the doctor told me that I would be under general aneshesia but able to breath on my own. I figured that he must have been talking about a twilight sedation since I would be breathing on my own but figured out that it would be easier for his patients to understand if he just told people that they would be under general anesthesia, asleep and unable to feel anything.

Anyway, I was wrong. I think it was general anesthesia but using a Laryngeal Mask Airway however it was described as a device that would allow me to breath on my own as certain drugs would keep me asleep during the operation. From how it was described, I think it was general with a Laryngeal Mask Airway.


 

[George Pope, M.D.]

There are different levels of general anesthesia, and your anesthesiologist
controls that. The lighter the level, the better the patient can breathe spontaneously. In laryngeal mask cases the level is kept lighter. In longer cases or cases involving the abdominal or chest cavities for example, an endotrachial tube is used and breathing is taken over by a ventilator. BUT, toward the end of these cases, as the patients's anesthesia is lightened, he starts breathing on his own.  Then the tube can safely be removed.
Dr. Pope, MD