A Study To Evaluate The Difficult Endotracheal Intubation By Using Simple Bed Side Tests

Introduction: The fundamental responsibility of an anesthesiologist is to maintain adequate ventilation / gas exchange during operations. Failure to maintain a patent airway for more than few minutes results in brain hypoxia, damage or death and has medico legal implication also. When a difficult airway is unrecognized before attempting the intubation, the result can be catastrophic because the personnel and necessary equipment needed for specialized tracheal intubation may not be available in such emergent situation. Aims and objectives: To assess the reliability of simple bedside tests to predict difficult endotracheal intubation and to determine if a combination of any of these tests could enhance the sensitivity and specificity in predicting difficult intubation. Material and method: This double blind prospective study was conducted on 100 adult patients who presented for pre-anesthesia checkup in the Department of Anesthesiology, Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Centre NH 24 Pilkhuwa, Hapur. Summary and conclusions: From this study it is concluded that no methods either individual or in combination identifies all the cases of difficult intubation and so the “difficult intubation drill” should always be ready. Amongst the individual tests the best balance of sensitivity and specificity was that of Modified Mallampati Test, Thyromental Distance and Sternomental Distance.