Abstract

GEMPELER, Fritz E; DIAZ, Lorena  and  SARMIENTO, Lina. Airway Management in Bariatric Surgery Patients at Hospital Universitario de San Ignacio, Bogotá (Colombia). Rev. colomb. anestesiol. [online]. 2012, vol.40, n.2, pp.119-123. ISSN 0120-3347.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0120-3347(12)70024-2.

Introduction: Obesity has increased in the past few years, more so for the morbidly obese; in whom comorbilities that complicate the perioperative anaesthetic and airway management have been identified. The pre-anaesthetic assessment of the patient includes parameters of physical examination and medical history that predict difficulties when intubating or failure to do so. In such cases, the Bonfils retromolar fibroscope has proven to be a useful tool. Goal: To observe and identify predicting evidence of a difficult airway through physical examination; to revise the incidence of difficult intubation and the use of tools for airway management of obese patients. Methods: This is a descriptive observational study carried out on 352 obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery at Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá. On these patients we assessed the following parameters: body mass index (BMI), oral opening, mallampati score, distance between thyroid and chin, neck circumference, use of laryngoscope or Bonfils retromolar fibroscope and the difficulties encountered for both. Conclusions: Intubation with the Bonfils retromolar fibroscope proves successfull in 100% of observed cases of obese patients, and intubation difficulty does not correlate with the parameters considered in our assessment.

Keywords : Obesity; Morbid obesity; Intubation; Intratracheal intubation.

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