Comparison of four airway assessment tools to predict difficult endotracheal intubation: A cross-sectional study to facilitate early-year residents in anesthesia training.

Abstract

Objective: To assess four airway assessment tools to predict difficult airway to facilitate early year residents in anesthesia training. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Sheikh Zayed Medical College & Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan. Period: September 2023 to October 2024. Methods: Enrolled 203 patients thru convenient sampling. Patients’ airways were assessed using ULBT, MMT, TMD, and SMD; four bedside airway assessment methods. And results were compared with laryngoscopic view (Cormack-Lehane) in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and Accuracy. Results: A total of 203 patients participated, with mean age 36 years, and mean BMI 27.3kg/m². ULBT, MMT, SMD, and TMD predicted difficult airway in 10.8%, 15.3%, 6% and 9.9% of the patients, respectively. While Cormack-Lehane view presented difficulty in 15.3% intubations. These four airway assessment tools revealed a wide range of sensitivities, from 15.1% to 54.8%. Conclusion: Among all four tests, ULBT and MMT are superior in efficacy as compared to TMD and SMD in identifying a potentially difficult airway.