Airway Assessment, Difficult Intubation
Conditions
Keywords
Airway Ultrasound, Tongue Thickness, Difficult Airway
Brief summary
This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the ability of selected ultrasonographic airway measurements to predict difficult intubation in adult female patients undergoing elective surgery. Pre-induction airway ultrasonography will be performed to measure tongue thickness and anterior neck soft tissue-related parameters. These measurements will be compared with laryngoscopic findings during direct laryngoscopy. The results of this study may help identify practical and reliable ultrasound-based markers for preoperative airway assessment and improve patient safety.
Detailed description
This is a prospective, single-center observational study conducted in adult female patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia. The study was performed at the University of Health Sciences Adana City Training and Research Hospital after approval by the institutional ethics committee. Before induction of anesthesia, standardized ultrasonographic airway assessments were performed by an experienced anesthesiologist. Measurements included tongue thickness, the distance from the skin to the anterior commissure of the vocal cords, the distance from the skin to the hyoid bone, and the distance from the skin to the epiglottis. All measurements were obtained under static pre-induction conditions using portable ultrasound equipment. Following anesthesia induction, direct laryngoscopy was performed, and laryngoscopic view was graded according to the Cormack-Lehane classification. Difficult intubation was defined based on predefined laryngoscopic criteria. Ultrasonographic measurements were then analyzed for their diagnostic performance in predicting difficult intubation. The primary objective of the study was to determine the most informative ultrasonographic parameter for predicting difficult intubation in this population. Secondary objectives included comparing the relative diagnostic value of different ultrasound measurements and evaluating their potential role in routine preoperative airway assessment.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Adana City Training and Research Hospital
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Female patients aged 18-65 years * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III physical status I-III * Scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia requiring tracheal intubation * Ability to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Body mass index ≥30 kg/m² * Known history of difficult intubation * Anatomical airway abnormalities or head and neck pathology * Pregnancy * Emergency surgery
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of Difficult Intubation | Perioperative | Difficult intubation defined as Cormack-Lehane grade III or IV and/or the need for additional airway devices or techniques during tracheal intubation. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrasonographic Measurement of Tongue Thickness | Preoperative assessment | Preoperative ultrasonographic measurement of tongue thickness performed in the suprahyoid region. |
| Ultrasonographic Measurement of Skin-to-Hyoid Bone Distance | Preoperative assessment | Preoperative ultrasonographic measurement of the distance between the skin and the hyoid bone. |
| Ultrasonographic Measurement of Skin-to-Epiglottis Distance | Preoperative assessment | Preoperative ultrasonographic measurement of the distance between the skin and the epiglottis. |
| Ultrasonographic Measurement of Distance from Skin to Anterior Commissure of the Vocal Cords | Preoperative assessment | Preoperative ultrasonographic measurement of the distance from the skin to the anterior commissure of the vocal cords. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed