Our results indicate that carbon dioxide insufflation may cause catecholamine release during laparoscopic surgery. Careful monitoring of hemodynamics is mandatory at the beginning of the procedure.

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is useful as an airway intubator (conduit) for an intubating tracheal bougie or fibreoptic bronchoscope, over which a tracheal tube is passed. However, in our paediatric patients with Treacher-Collins syndrome, only the latter technique was successful. This was attributed to the fact that a posteriorly protruded tongue displaced the LMA, made the glottis move considerably anterior and interfered with the attempts to enter the trachea with a bougie. Downward displacement of the epiglottis, which can sometimes impair the intubation technique through the LMA, was not observed in our patients. Partial obstruction of a tracheal tube within the LMA occurred in one of the patients.

No abstract

In patients in whom laryngoscopy was unexpectedly difficult, the English blade provided a better glottic view significantly more frequently than the standard blade.

The right and left lateral positions produced different hemodynamic changes during laparoscopic urological surgery. The increases in preload and cardiac index and the decrease in systemic vascular resistance were greater in the right than in the left lateral position. Respiratory changes were not affected differently between the right and left lateral positions.