Adapted from

LMA North America, Inc.

The LMA™ airway is a supraglottic airway that has a proven track record of safety and efficacy. To date, the device has been featured in more than 2,500 clinical references and has been used for more than 15 years in the United States and in over 200 million cases worldwide. Today, it is used in approximately one-third of all general anesthesia cases in the U.S. LMA airways are included in the American Heart Association Guidelines for Resuscitation and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Difficult Airway algorithm.

LMA Airway Family of Products

Most clinicians are well aware of the advantages of an LMA airway—greater patient comfort, minimal hemodynamic response and smoother emergence. For these reasons, many physicians prefer using an LMA whenever possible.

The newest LMA product is the LMA CTrach™, the visualizing LMA airway. The LMA CTrach is designed to increase intubation success rates in difficult airways. It enables ventilation during intubation attempts, while built-in fiber optics provide a direct view of the larynx and real-time visualization of the endotracheal (ET) tube passing through the vocal cords.

The LMA Classic™ is used in nearly every hospital in the United States and has the widest range of sizes—from those appropriate for neonates to those for large adults. It is best suited for elective surgeries in spontaneously breathing patients, and is also used with assisted and controlled ventilation.

The LMA Unique™, the single-use version of LMA Classic, has gained wide acceptance in U.S. hospitals. It provides the same reliability and ease of insertion as the LMA Classic and is ideal for hospitals that have problems with lost equipment or cleaning concerns.

When certain surgical procedures and patient factors may cause clinicians to make trade-offs between an LMA Classic and an ET tube, the LMA ProSeal™ helps to safely deliver the advantages of an LMA approach to airway protection, along with patient acceptance superior to that with an ET tube. The reusable LMA ProSeal is designed to provide separation of the respiratory and alimentary tracts and higher seal pressures, with no increase in mucosal pressures. The patented risk reduction features of LMA ProSeal mean wider application of LMA benefits for more patients.

The LMA Flexible™ is available in either single-use or reusable versions and is designed for head, neck and upper torso procedures. The LMA Flexible allows the clinician to deliver the comfort of an LMA in more surgical situations—even in cases where access is shared with a surgeon. The wire-reinforced airway tube facilitates repositioning of the tube or the patient during a procedure without loss of seal. The LMA Flexible has been shown to protect the trachea and esophagus from blood and secretions from above better than an ET tube.

Known as the intubating LMA airway, the LMA Fastrach™ is now available in a single-use version as well as in the reusable design. This unique device facilitates continuous ventilation during and between blind or fiber-optic intubation attempts, lessening the likelihood of desaturation. It is easy to insert and can be used in anticipated or unexpected difficult airway situations and for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is also valuable as a rescue airway in the emergency department or the prehospital setting.

Services and Education

LMA North America is committed to clinical education and invests significant resources to educate clinicians through airway seminars, visiting lecturer programs and hands-on workshops. The company supports anesthesia research through organizations such as the Society for Airway Management, ASA and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

LMA North America provides grants and other support to teaching hospitals, including those affiliated with the University of Chicago, University of California San Francisco, Yale University and Loma Linda University.

LMA North America supplements these activities with an extensive library of clinical articles and instructional materials on its Web site and in multimedia formats.

Close