• A De Jong, N Molinari, Y Pouzeratte, D Verzilli, G Chanques, B Jung, E Futier, P-F Perrigault, P Colson, X Capdevila, and S Jaber.
• Anesthesiology and Critical Care Department B, Saint Eloi Teaching Hospital, Montpellier F-34295, France.
• Br J Anaesth. 2015 Feb 1;114(2):297-306.

BackgroundIntubation procedure in obese patients is a challenging issue both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the operating theatre (OT). The objectives of the study were (i) to compare the incidence of difficult intubation and (ii) its related complications in obese patients admitted to ICU and OT.MethodsWe conducted a multicentre prospective observational cohort study in ICU and OT in obese (BMI≥30 kg m(-2)) patients. The primary endpoint was the incidence of difficult intubation. Secondary endpoints were the risk factors for difficult intubation, the use of difficult airway management techniques, and severe life-threatening complications related to intubation (death, cardiac arrest, severe hypoxaemia, severe cardiovascular collapse).ResultsIn cohorts of 1400 and 11 035 consecutive patients intubated in ICU and in the OT, 282 (20%) and 2103 (19%) were obese. In obese patients, the incidence of difficult intubation was twice more frequent in ICU than in the OT (16.3% vs 8.2%, P<0.01). In both cohorts, risk factors for difficult intubation were Mallampati score III/IV, obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, and reduced mobility of cervical spine, while limited mouth opening, severe hypoxaemia, and coma appeared only in ICU. Specific difficult airway management techniques were used in 66 (36%) cases of difficult intubation in obese patients in the OT and in 10 (22%) cases in ICU (P=0.04). Severe life-threatening complications were significantly more frequent in ICU than in the OT (41.1% vs 1.9%, relative risk 21.6, 95% confidence interval 15.4-30.3, P<0.01).ConclusionsIn obese patients, the incidence of difficult intubation was twice more frequent in ICU than in the OT and severe life-threatening complications related to intubation occurred 20-fold more often in ICU.Clinical Trial RegistrationCurrent controlled trials. Identifier: NCT01532063.© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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