Stop Bang Questionnaire is a Better Predictor for Determining Difficult Airway When Compared to Other Bedside Predictors - A Prospective Observational Study

INTRODUCTION 

Airway Evaluation is one of the most important aspects of Preoperative Patient Assessment. Airway management is a key feature in the safety and quality of Anaesthesia. Difficult Airway management remains the most common cause of Anaesthesia related morbidity and mortality. Several factors can predict the incidence of Difficult airway, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome being one such factor. There are several screening tools for OSAS. STOP BANG Questionnaire is an established tool for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Screening. Depending on the score, the STOP BANG questionnaire has aided anesthesia providers in making appropriate alterations in intraoperative care plans to avoid difficult airway. This study aimed to estimate the accuracy of commonly used airway examination tests and correlate them with the questionnaire for assessing difficult airway.

METHODOLOGY

This study will be conducted on patients scheduled for elective surgery requiring General Anesthesia with Endotracheal intubation.  In The Pre Operative Evaluation Patients will be instructed to sit straight and Age, Gender, Body Mass Index, Blood pressure, Neck Circumference, Interincisor Gap, Sternomental and Thyromental Distance, Head and Neck movement, Buck Teeth, Upper lip Bite test, and Mallampati Grades will be recorded. In addition, all patients will be asked to answer the STOP BANG Questionnaire. A score of greater than or equal to five on the STOP BANG Questionnaire predicts severe OSAS. The Frequency of Difficult Airway will be higher in the patients with a score of eleven to fourteen in other Bedside predictor tests. On the Day of surgery, each patient will be taken to the operating room and Laryngoscopy and Intubation will be performed in a standard Sniffing position. Upon induction of General anesthesia, the degree of difficulty encountered during Mask ventilation and Intubation will be documented. In classical Laryngoscopy, the glottic view is evaluated using the Cormack and Lehane grading system. Difficult Intubation will be more frequent in patients with a score of greater than six.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

The study is expected to show that the STOP BANG Questionnaire is a better predictor of difficult airway compared to other bedside tests. It may demonstrate higher specificity, sensitivity, and predictive accuracy, particularly in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The findings could lead to improved airway assessment protocols and better preparedness for difficult airway management.