Aim To explore nurses’ attitudes towards, and confidence in, the use of laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and oral Guedel airway (OGA). The research formed part of a larger study which examined whether nurses could deliver adequate ventilation in children using these two airways compared to a consultant anaesthetist.

Method Twenty five critical care nurses were trained to insert an LMA and an OGA. They were then required to insert each airway into an unconscious apnoeic child in the anaesthetic room. A questionnaire was devised to ascertain the participants’ preferred airway and their attitudes towards using the airways at various times during the study period.

Findings Before training the nurses were evenly divided about which airway they preferred but this changed to favouring the LMA after training. However, by the end of the study the majority of participants preferred to use the OGA.

Conclusion The nurses’ confidence increased as a result of practising these ventilating techniques on patients. They felt that being able to insert an LMA as a second-line airway when the OGA was not providing adequate ventilation was useful. However, they also felt that they would need continuous training to update this skill.