Predicting Difficult Intubation in Obese Patients: The Role of Anthropometric Measurements and Ultrasonograpic Suprasternal Adipose Tissue Thickness

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity, the incidence of which has increased significantly worldwide and is one of the important causes of difficult airway in terms of anesthesia, as obesity when the body mass index (BMI) is above 30. Access to the upper airway is difficult in obese patients, in whom excessive adipose tissue accumulates in the breast, neck, chest, and abdomen. Determining preoperative difficult intubation parameters in obese patients and entering the case preparation both reduce the risk of repeated intubation and prevent intraoperative and postoperative complications.

However, there are still insufficient tests to predict difficult intubation. Many studies have shown that multiple factors such as Mallampati score, high body mass index (BMI), increased neck circumference, and the ratio of neck circumference to thyromental distance are predictors of difficult intubation in obese patients. The introduction of ultrasonography into daily use has led to the use of ultrasonographic parameters in predicting difficult intubation and laryngoscopy. In this study, the investigators aimed to evaluate whether ultrasonography is useful in defining difficult preoperative airways, in addition to anthropometric measurements.