• Hélène Gonzalez, Vincent Minville, Khedija Delanoue, Michel Mazerolles, Dominique Concina, and Olivier Fourcade.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital of Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
• Anesth. Analg. 2008 Apr 1;106(4):1132-6, table of contents.

BackgroundUsing the intubation difficulty scale (IDS), we sought to confirm that obese patients are more difficult to intubate than lean patients. We assessed classical bedside tests and included neck circumference.MethodsWe prospectively compared the incidence of difficult tracheal intubation in 70 obese [body mass index (BMI) > or = 30 kg/m(2)] and 61 lean patients (BMI < 30 kg/m(2)). The IDS scores, categorized as difficult intubation (IDS > 5) or not (IDS < or = 5), and the patient data, were compared between lean and obese patients. Preoperative measurements [BMI, neck circumference (at the level of the thyroid cartilage), width of mouth opening, sternomental distance, and thyromental distance], medical history of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and several scores (Mallampati, Wilson, El Ganzouri) were recorded. The view during direct laryngoscopy was graded, and the IDS was recorded. We then compared patients with IDS < or = 5 and > 5, concerning each item.ResultsThe results indicate that difficult tracheal intubation is more frequent in obese than in lean patients (14.3% vs 3%; P = 0.03). In the patients with IDS > 5, thyromental distance, BMI, large neck circumference, and higher Mallampati score were the only predictors of potential intubation problems.ConclusionWe found that problematic intubation was associated with thyromental distance, increasing neck circumference, BMI, and a Mallampati score of > or = 3. Neck circumference should be assessed preoperatively to predict difficult intubation.

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