ABSTRACT : To assess common clinical parameters that could assist in accurately predicting difficult intubation in obese patients

METHODS : This study, undertaken in a tertiary level hospital, was performed to evaluate the accuracy of common clinical parameters in predicting difficult intubation in 100 obese patients (BMI > 27.5 kg/m2) undergoing various surgeries under General Anaesthesia. Difficult intubation was determined using the intubation difficulty scale (IDS > 5). Various parameters taken were Neck Circumference (NC), Thyromental distance (TM), Modified Mallampati Grading and Wilson Score. NC/TM ratio was studied as an independent predictor. Univariate analysis was used to compare the data.

RESULTS : The incidence of difficult intubation in obese patients was found to be 15%. Among the various parameters studied, NC/TM ratio, showed the highest sensitivity (93%) and highest specificity (98%) for predicting difficult intubation in obese patients with IDS>5.

CONCLUSIONS : This study supports the use of assessing ratio of neck circumference to thyromental distance pre-operatively to predict a potentially difficult intubation in obese patients.