Face Index as Predictor of Difficult Airway and Intubation

This study focuses on patient safety during anesthesia, specifically on maintaining proper breathing. When a person is under anesthesia, their airway must be secured to ensure they can breathe properly. While simple face masks can often do the job, in some cases, a more reliable method called endotracheal intubation is needed. This involves inserting a tube into the windpipe to help with breathing. Certain physical characteristics, like facial structure, obesity, or a short neck, can make this process challenging. The study aims to introduce a new way of predicting these difficulties by using a measurement called the 'face index'. This could potentially simplify the prediction process, using a single value instead of multiple measurements. The study will compare traditional methods of predicting airway difficulties with the face index. This includes measurements like thyromental distance, neck circumference, and the Mallampati classification, among others. The face index involves measurements like the length from the hairline to the chin, total facial index, upper facial index, and nasal index. The study will investigate how well these measurements can predict difficulties at various stages of airway management, from using a face mask to inserting the endotracheal tube. All measurements used in this study are standard, non-invasive, and harmless, and are typically used by anesthesiologists as part of preoperative assessments.