To investigate the effects of different positions on recovery from anesthesia and airway management during resuscitation after laparoscopic surgery for pediatric inguinal hernia.

From January 2019 to December 2021, 128 children with inguinal hernias who underwent laparoscopic hernia surgery under general anesthesia at the Women and Children's Medical Center of Hainan Province were selected, and were divided into a lateral recumbent group and a flat recumbent group according to the randomized number table method, 64 cases each, and the lateral recumbent group was extubated in the lateral recumbent position and the flat recumbent group was extubated in the decubitus position. The incidence of choking and coughing, resuscitation time, pulse rate and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were compared between the two groups.

There was no difference in gender, height, age, weight, operation time, and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (P>0.05); there was no difference in SpO₂ between the two groups at each time point (P>0.05). The time of restlessness, wake-up time and spontaneous breathing after extubation in the supine position group was significantly shorter than that in the supine position group (P<0.05); there was no difference in agitation, hypoxemia, laryngospasm, and struggle after extubation between the two groups (P>0.05); compared with the supine group, the children in the lateral position had significantly lower cough and airway obstruction (P<0.05).

Compared with the traditional supine position, resuscitation in the lateral position is more beneficial to the airway management of children after laparoscopic hernia surgery under general anesthesia, improves safety, and has a higher resuscitation quality.