Encountering unexpected difficult airway: relationship with the intubation difficulty scale.
10.4097/kjae.2016.69.3.244
- Author:
Wonuk KOH
1
;
Hajung KIM
;
Kyongsun KIM
;
Young Jin RO
;
Hong Seuk YANG
Author Information
1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. hsyang@amc.seoul.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Difficult;
Grade;
Intubation;
Scale;
Unexpected
- MeSH:
Humans;
Intubation*;
Lifting;
Methods;
Prevalence;
Retrospective Studies
- From:Korean Journal of Anesthesiology
2016;69(3):244-249
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: An unexpected difficult intubation can be very challenging and if it is not managed properly, it may expose the encountered patient to significant risks. The intubation difficulty scale (IDS) has been used as a validated method to evaluate a global degree of intubation difficulty. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of unexpected difficult intubation using the IDS. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 951 patients undergoing elective surgery in a single medical center. Patients expected to have a difficult intubation or who had history of difficult intubation were excluded. Each patient was assessed by the IDS scoring system with seven variables. Total prevalence of difficult intubation and the contributing individual factors were further analyzed. RESULTS: For the 951 patients, the difficult intubation cases presenting IDS > 5 was 5.8% of total cases (n = 55). The prevalence of Cormack-Lehane Grade 3 or 4 was 16.2% (n = 154). Most of the difficult intubation cases were managed by simple additional maneuvers and techniques such as stylet application, additional lifting force and laryngeal pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpected difficult airway was present in 5.8% of patients and most was managed effectively. Among the components of IDS, the Cormack-Lehane grade was most sensitive for predicting difficult intubation.
