RÉSUMÉ
BACKGROUND: Endotracheal intubation is a common procedure in anesthesia, which can usually be accomplished easily. However, if the attempt is unexpectedly difficult the patient may be seriously at risk. If we can anticipate difficult intubation by assessing the airways in advance, anesthesiologists can plan the safest and most effective way of managing tracheal intubation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a correlation between airway assessment factors and laryngoscopic grades for predicting difficult intubation. METHODS: The data were collected from a total of 427(male 189) patients older than 16 years of age undergoing non-emergency surgery. Seven airway assessment factors, measured at three levels of severity, were evaluated. Airway assessment factors include inter incisor gap, Samsoon and Young classification, thyromental distance, head and neck movement, body weight, history of difficult intubation and buck teeth. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between total airway score and laryngoscopic grade. The incidence of difficult intubations was 9 out of 427 patients. Samsoon and Young classification, thyromental distance, head and neck movement, history of difficult intubation were significantly independent airway factors for predicting difficult intubations. Increase of total airway score represents the risk of difficult intubations. CONCLUSION: We suggest that total airway score could be used as a valuable predictor for assessing difficult intubations.