Comparison of laryngeal mask airway and endotracheal tube using percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy

Aim: The study’s objective was to determine whether laryngeal mask airway (LMA) use in percutaneous tracheostomy applications is superior compared to classic endotracheal tube (ETT) use. Methods: The study comprised patients who had percutaneous tracheostomy at Adıyaman Training and Research Hospital between 2013 and 2018. The patients were separated into two groups those who used ETT for airway management (group E) and those who used LMA instead of ETT (group L) during PT application. 4 patients were excluded from the study due to the lack of data from the 170 patient files obtained. The diagnosis for intensive care unit admission, age, gender, length of hospital stay, length of the procedure, number of attempts, complications, and mortality were compared between the two groups. Results: Of the 166 patients involved in the study, 76 were female and 90 were male. All patients underwent successful tracheostomy procedures, but 20 patients had minimal bleeding, and 21 patients had a second attempt. The duration of the tracheostomy procedure was found to be significantly shorter in group L (p<0.05). In comparison to group E, group L had a significantly longer hospital stay (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was considered that the use of LMA in percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy applications reduces the duration of the surgery. However, there is no significant difference between the use of ETT and LMA in terms of procedural success and complication rates. Keywords: Airway management, laryngeal mask airway, tracheostomy