Let me add another vote for the LMA. If you're a candidate for it (not all patients are) it's a good airway which leaves your cords alone and leaves you feeling fine. I had one down my throat about a year and a half ago and was quite pleased. Mark is, of course, right as rain about a pre-op with the gas passer the day before, NOT on the way to the operating suite. Your life is in his/her hands in a most immediate way and you want to be comfortable with the physician, the tools and the procedure.

If, for some reason, you're not a candidate for the LMA, you don't need to fear the endo-tracheal route. Like some of the others here, I've passed more ET tunes than I can remember. Most of the intubations I've done have been so- called uncontrolled intubations. That's in the street, in cars, public restrooms, that sort of thing, without the aid of paralytic drugs or ventilators. What I'm getting at is that tubes done that way generally go just fine. When passed in a controlled environment by a physician with nothing but your airway and breathing to worry about, ET tubes are a safe and routine part of anaesthia.

Best,

Dave