Archie I J Brain | |
|---|---|
 Brain in 2009 | |
| Born | 2 July 1942 Kobe, Japan |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Known for | Inventor of laryngeal mask airway |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anaesthesia |
Archie Brain (born 2 July 1942) is a British anaesthetist best known as the inventor of the laryngeal mask. The LMA has been used over 300 million times worldwide in elective anaesthesia and emergency airway management.
Source: [1]
Brain returned to the UK in April 1980 and took up a post as a lecturer at the Royal London Hospital under Professor Jimmy Payne. He set out to determine the electromagnetic field strength required to block the action potential along a nerve. This involved encircling a frog nerve-muscle preparation with an electromagnetic coil. [2] In 1982, he had his first publication: a letter to the editor suggesting that alcuronium should be used instead of succinylcholine for "crash" induction. [3]
Brain submitted patent applications for 12 new devices, including one to assist venepuncture, one to prevent obstruction of anaesthetic trolleys by cables, one to apply a specific amount of cricoid pressure, and even a rotating bed for use in intensive care to prevent bed-sores. The laryngeal mask, LMA Classic was his 13th patent application and was granted in 1982. [4] The LMA Classic was sold by LMA International NV, a company sold to Teleflex Inc in 2012 for $276m. [5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
