BACKGROUND AND AIM Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is predisposed to the development of upper airway obstruction during sleep, and it poses considerable problem for anesthetic management. Difficult intubation (DI) is an important problem for management of anesthesia. In this clinical research, we aim to investigate the relationship between DI and prediction criteria of DI in cases with O...

Background: Clinical detection of structural narrowing of the upper airway may facilitate early recognition of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). To determine whether the craniofacial profile predicts the presence of OSA, the upper airway and craniofacial structure of 239 consecutive patients (164 Asian and 75 white subjects) referred to two sleep centres (Hong Kong and Vancouver) were prospective...

BACKGROUND Using the intubation difficulty scale (IDS), we sought to confirm that obese patients are more difficult to intubate than lean patients. We assessed classical bedside tests and included neck circumference. METHODS We prospectively compared the incidence of difficult tracheal intubation in 70 obese [body mass index (BMI) > or = 30 kg/m(2)] and 61 lean patients (BMI < 30 kg/m(2)). Th...

Pre-operative physical exam is critical to safely providing anesthesia to patients. This is done in a face to face session with the patient. The patient is asked to widely open their mouth and stick their tongue out. The airway is then 'graded' according to the classification of Mallampati. Sometimes an anesthesia provider is not immediately available to make this assessment. We examined remote...

BACKGROUND Unsedated esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is simpler and safer than sedated EGD; however, approximately 40% of patients cannot tolerate it. Early identification of patients likely to poorly tolerate unsedated EGD is valuable for improving compliance. The modified Mallampati classification (MMC) has been used to evaluate difficult tracheal intubation and laryngoscope insertion. We tr...

BACKGROUND Recognition of the difficult airway is a critical element of emergency practice. Mallampati score and body mass index (BMI) are not always predictive and they may be unavailable in critically ill patients. Ultrasonography provides high-resolution images that are rapidly obtainable, mobile, and non-invasive. Studies have shown correlation of ultrasound measurements with difficult lary...

abstractbackgroundand endotracheal intubation under direct vision in both anticipated and unexpecteddifficult intubation situations.: the lma ctrach system is a new device for airway managementmethodsdifferent types of elective surgeries. after randomly selecting the patients for intubationwith this new device, the airway characteristics, height, weight, dental overbiteand thyromental distance ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Preoperative ultrasonographic evaluation of the thyroid gland done by surgeons could let us foresee airway management challenges. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the effects of thyroid-related parameters assessed preoperatively by surgeons via ultrasonography and chest X-ray on intubation conditions. METHODS Fifty patients undergoing thyroid surge...