Supraglottic airway devices are developed with increasing frequency following the overwhelming success of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA). In contrast to the first generation devices such as the 'classic' LMA and the laryngeal tube second generation devices usually offer an oesophageal drainage tube and/or an improved oropharyngeal leak pressure during positive pressure ventilation such as the laryngeal mask ProSeal and the laryngeal tube S. Recently the disposable versions of these supraglottic airway devices and the novel I-Gel mask have gained increasing interest. Both the LMA and the PLMA have been shown to be perfectly suitable for routine anaesthesia and emergency airway management. While the lacking protection against aspiration is still considered a major limitation of the LMA, the value of airway devices with an oesophageal drainage tube in this respect remains untermined at present.