Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To study change in intraocular pressure (IOP) under general anaesthesia in children before and after laryngeal mask insertion. Method: Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured in 61 children after induction and one minute after laryngeal airway insertion. Children (age < 16) scheduled to undergo elective ophthalmic surgery under a general anaesthetic were included. Children with a history of glaucoma or previous intra–ocular surgery were excluded. Data was collected on the age of the child, the IOP, heart rate (HR), end tidal CO2 and blood pressure (BP), before and after mask insertion. Results: There were 61 children ranging from 4 months to 16 years of age were included in the study. The mean IOP was 14 mm Hg ± 4 prior to laryngeal mask insertion and 16 mm Hg ± 5 (P= 0.008 for right eye and P=0.003 left eye, using within subjects MANOVA and Bonferroni’s adjusted significance level of 0.025). Analysis indicated that changes in BP and the interaction between BP and the end tidal CO2 after the laryngeal mask insertion was found to have a significant effect on the change in overall IOP before and after laryngeal mask insertion using MANOVA (Wilk’s Lambada = 0.86, F (2, 50) = 4.04; p = 0.024). Conclusion: In our study, a small but significantly higher intra ocular pressure was found after laryngeal mask insertion than before. Changes in blood pressure were found to significantly effect this change in IOP. It is recommended that the measurement of IOP in children under a general anaesthetic be carried out before the insertion of the laryngeal mask.
Keywords: intraocular pressure