Laryngeal mask airway device

A laryngeal mask airway device for insertion into a patient to provide an airway passage to the patient's glottic opening, the device comprising an airway tube, a mask attached to the airway tube, the mask comprising a backplate having a distal end and a proximal end and dorsal and ventral sides, a peripheral inflatable cuff, and defining an outlet for gas, the mask being connected to the airway tube for gaseous communication between the tube and the mask, the device further comprising means to prevent occlusion of the outlet by the patient's anatomy, the means comprising a support, the support defining a support surface, and a plurality of conduits to allow gas to flow out of the outlet past the support, each of the plurality of conduits defined by sides walls that include laterally extending webs to partially close over each of the plurality of conduits;

• wherein the outlet includes a floor, the support being disposed to support an occluding anatomical structure above the level of the floor, to allow gas to flow therebelow;
• wherein the support surface is provided upon a substantially centrally disposed, longitudinal upstand, extending from in front of the outlet towards the distal end, which raises the support surface above the level of the ventral side;
• the support being an outer surface of an oesophageal drain tube, the drain tube being formed integrally in the material of the backplate.