A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Virtual Versus Direct Airway Assessment in the Preoperative Period in Patients Presenting for Neurosurgery: A Quest for Safer Preoperative Practice in Neuroanesthesia in the Backdrop of the COVID-19 Pandemic!

Objectives Neurosurgical patients with cervical spine pathologies, craniofacial and craniovertebral junction anomalies, recurrent cervical spine, and posterior fossa surgeries frequently present with an airway that is anticipated to be difficult. Although the routine physical evaluation is nonaerosol-generating, Mallampati scoring, mouth opening, and assessment of lower cranial nerve function could potentially generate aerosols, imposing a greater risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, airway evaluation requires the patient to remove the mask, thereby posing a greater risk to the assessing anesthesiologist. Thus, we designed this study to evaluate the efficacy of virtual airway assessment (VAA) done via telemedicine in comparison to direct airway assessment (DAA), and assess the feasibility of VAA as a part of the preanesthetic evaluation (PAE) of patients presenting for neurosurgery in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods A total of 55 patients presenting for elective neurosurgical procedures were recruited in this prospective, observational study. The preoperative assessment of the airway was first done by a remote anesthetist via an encrypted video call, using a smartphone which served the purpose of telemedicine equipment, followed by a direct assessment by the attending anesthetist. The following parameters were assessed: mouth opening (MO), presence of any anomalies of tongue and palate, Mallampati classification (MPC) grading, thyromental distance (TMD), upper lip bite test (ULBT), neck movements, and Look-Evaluate-Mallampati-Obstruction-Neck mobility (LEMON) scoring system. Statistical Analysis Demographic parameters were expressed as mean ± SD. Agreement between the values obtained by VAA and DAA parameters were analyzed with the Kappa test. Results We observed a "perfect agreement" between the DAA and VAA with regard to MO. Assessment of ULBT, neck movements, and the LEMON score had an overall "almost perfect agreement" between the DAA and VAA. We also observed a "substantial agreement" between VAA and DAA during the assessment of MPC grading and TMD. Conclusion Our study shows that PAE and VAA via telemedicine can reliably be used as an alternative to direct physical preanesthetic consultation in the COVID-19 scenario. This could reduce unnecessary exposure of anesthesiologists to potential asymptomatic COVID-positive patients, thereby protecting the available skilled workforce, without any significant compromise to patient care.

Finding the Calm in the Chaos: An Institutional Protocol for Anesthetic Management of a Patient for Neurosurgery during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

"Coronavirus disease 2019" (COVID-19) transmitted by a novel coronavirus via contact or droplet spread is a highly infectious disease, the containment of which requires vigilance and stringent infection control policies. In the backdrop of hospitals becoming hot zones and an increasing number of health care workers contracting the disease, it is crucial to formulate an approach while administering anesthesia during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic. In this background, this comprehensive article deals with the perioperative management during this pandemic and includes risk stratification based on an innovative simple scoring system, rationale use of personal protective equipments, and infection prevention protocols. The document of updated literature, though not intended to replace any guidelines, is aimed at providing protocol to health care workers to protect themselves while providing the best care in this pandemic.