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A survey of tracheal intubation difficulty in the operating room: a prospective observational study
Author(s) -
Adnet F.,
Racine S. X.,
Borron S. W.,
Clemessy J. L.,
Fournier J. L.,
Lapostolle F.,
Cupa M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2001.045003327.x
Subject(s) - medicine , stylet , intubation , tracheal intubation , anesthesia , airway , endotracheal intubation , observational study , surgery
Background: The purpose of this study is to describe all degrees of endotracheal intubation difficulty among patients attended by eight anesthesiologists during routine surgery over a six‐month period. Airway characteristics were routinely assessed preoperatively, according to the anesthesiologists’ usual practice. Methods: Difficult tracheal intubation was evaluated by the Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS), a quantitative score based on seven variables. An IDS value of 0 is consistent with a procedure without difficulty, and an IDS > 5 with a procedure involving moderate to major difficulty. Results: For 1171 patients undergoing tracheal intubation, IDS was 0 in 55%, and greater than 5 in 8% of cases. External laryngeal pressure, repositioning the patient and added use of a stylet were the most frequent methods chosen to facilitate tracheal intubation. Conclusion: There was a high incidence (37%) of minor difficulties encountered during routine surgery.