European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background and Aims: Difficult endotracheal intubation is a major challenge for the anesthesiologists. Many parameters assist to predict difficult intubation, hence inter incisor distance (IID), Sternomental distance (SMD) were used to predict the possibility of difficult intubation in patients posted for Head and Neck Oncosurgeries perioperative.
Methods:106 patients, airway was assessed who were posted for head and neck oncosurgeries especially the oral cancer patients. Using Cormack and Lehane laryngoscopic grading was assessed following laryngoscopy and graded difficult intubation as grade 3 and 4.
Results: Difficult endotracheal intubation was found in 20.75% of the said population, which was much higher than general population. Inter incisor distance less than 3 cm, Sternomental distance less than 12.5 cm were the cut off points for difficult intubation. The predicting difficult intubation by inter incisor distance was about 59% sensitivity and 77% specificity with a positive predictive value of 38% and with higher negative predictive value of 88%. The predicting difficult intubation by sternomental distance was about 24% sensitivity and 51% specificity with a positive predictive value of 10 % and with higher negative predictive value of 74% odds ratio of 5.22.
Conclusions: Inter incisor distance had high specificity with significant P value 0.007, hence was a better predictor compared to Sternomental distance in assessing airway in patients posted for head and neck oncosurgeries.