Intubating laryngeal mask airway in morbidly obese and lean patients: a comparative study.

Background: The intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) was designed using the characteristics of healthy-weight subjects but was shown to be an effective airway device in morbidly obese patients. The authors compared airway management quality in morbidly obese and lean patients with use of the ILMA.

Methods: Fifty morbidly obese and 50 lean patients (mean body mass indexes, 42 and 27 kg/m, respectively) were enrolled in this prospective study.