Study	Reason for exclusion
Cameron 2001	The patients were allocated to the intervention groups in a non‐randomized fashion
Flynn 2007	All the LMAs were removed after the children regained consciousness. There was no intervention group of early removal of the LMA
Goldmann 2011	The interventions compared were awake removal of the LMA in the operating room versus recovery room. There was no group receiving early removal of the LMA
Lee 2011	Early removal of the LMA was compared against early and late removal of endotracheal tube and was not compared against late removal of the LMA
Lema 2010	The interventions studied in this trial were two different anaesthetic agents (desflurane and sevoflurane) delivered through the LMA and the outcomes assessed were complications like cough and laryngeal spasm during and after anaesthesia. Both the intervention and outcomes studied were not relevant to the current systematic review
Lerman 2010	The interventions randomised in this trial were two different anaesthetic agents (desflurane and isoflurane) for maintenance of anaesthesia. The early or late removal of the LMA was at the discretion of the attending anaesthesiologist and therefore, not a randomised intervention
McKay 2006	The interventions in this trial were two anaesthetic agents (desflurane and sevoflurane) delivered through the LMA to patients who smoke to assess the incidence of complications like cough, laryngospasm and desaturation. Both the intervention and outcomes studied were not relevant to the current systematic review
Mencke 2010	It is an editorial
Sinha 2009	In this trial, the intervention groups differed by the type of ventilation instituted through the LMA during anaesthesia ‐ either spontaneous ventilation or pressure controlled ventilation. All the LMAs were removed at the onset of swallowing in these patients. Thus, the intervention studied was different from the review protocol
White 2009	The trial studied early and late recovery characteristics of patients maintained on either desflurane anaesthesia or sevoflurane anaesthesia through the LMA which was removed after the patient woke up from anaesthesia in both groups. Thus the intervention studied did not meet the inclusion criteria of the review

LMA = laryngeal mask airway