The laryngeal mask: an essential part of emergency airway management.

In this article I have endeavoured to introduce the laryngeal mask airway to those who have not come in contact with it in their clinical experience. Those who have and want to know more will, after reading it, form a knowledge base which, I hope, will encourage the acquisition of the skill of insertion. The background and development of the mask are described along with a description of the mask's insertion into the airway and its positioning. I have also included our experience gained whilst introducing the mask into our Hospital Trust, the Royal Berkshire & Battle Hospital NHS Trust (UK), and the training programme which we set up to train an retrain necessary personnel. The aim of the article is not to usurp the endotracheal tube's position in emergency airway management, but to enlighten the reader as to how the mask can dovetail in with its use. The endotracheal tube, of course, remains the gold standard in the isolation of the adult patient's airway in cardiopulmonary arrest.