Unexpected, difficult laryngoscopy: a prospective survey in routine general surgery.

A prospective study of unexpected, difficult laryngoscopy was carried out. During a 7-month period, all general surgery patients in whom the trachea was intubated were assessed; only those with obvious neck pathology were excluded. Ease or difficulty of laryngoscopy was graded by a standard method. There were no grade 4 cases and no failed intubations in a total of 1387 cases. There were significant differences in the results recorded by different individuals; this did not correlate with seniority or with the type of surgery. Four factors have been identified which help to explain these discrepancies. These findings are analysed in relation to the training of junior staff, with particular reference to obstetric anaesthesia.