Comparison between nasopharyngeal airway and laryngeal mask airway in blepharoplasty under general anaesthesia. A randomized controlled trial

Background: Blepharoplasty can be performed under local infiltration anaesthesia with or without sedation or general anaesthesia depending upon the surgical plan, patient and surgeon preferences, and duration of surgery. Securing the airway with an endotracheal tube or a laryngeal mask airway may cause sore throat. The primary aim of our study was to compare the incidence of this complication between the nasopharyngeal and laryngeal mask airways among patients receiving general anaesthesia during blepharoplasty. Methods: One hundred forty-eight patients (40-60 years old), ASA II-III, were randomly and evenly assigned to one of two groups. After induction of general anaesthesia, a nasopharyngeal airway or a laryngeal mask airway was inserted according to group allocation. All patients received local infiltration anaesthesia given by the surgeon. Haemodynamic variables, oxygen saturation, end-tidal CO2, failure rate and recovery time were monitored. Postoperative complications (mainly sore throat) as well as patients' and surgeon's satisfaction, were recorded. Results: Compared to laryngeal mask airways, the use of nasopharyngeal airways was associated with significantly lower incidence of sore throat (4.0% vs. 17.6% with a difference of 13.5%, 95% CI [3.5-24.1%], P < 0.015), shorter recovery times (10.3 min +/- 2.84 min vs. 12.6 min +/- 2.65 min, P < 0.001), and better patient and surgeon satisfaction (P < 0.001 for both). Conclusions: Nasopharyngeal airways are an excellent alternative to laryngeal mask airways in anaesthetizing patients undergoing four-lid blepharoplasty surgery, with shorter recovery time, less incidence of postoperative sore throat and better patients' and surgeon's satisfaction.