A Prospective Observational Study Comparing the El Ganzouri Risk Index and Airway Ultrasonography in Predicting Difficult Intubation in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate and compare two methods for predicting difficult intubation in adults undergoing bariatric surgery. The study focuses on the El Ganzouri Risk Index (EGRI), a scoring system using various airway assessment factors, and airway ultrasonography (USG), a non-invasive imaging technique measuring airway structures. The goal is to understand how these methods relate to the Cormack-Lehane (CL) score obtained during direct laryngoscopy, which assesses intubation difficulty, to improve preoperative airway management and patient safety. Participants will be adults scheduled for elective bariatric surgery who will undergo preoperative airway evaluations using both the EGRI scoring system and airway USG. Tracheal intubation will then be performed under general anesthesia using direct laryngoscopy. During the surgery, clinicians will record the CL grade, intubation time, number of attempts, and any need for video-assisted laryngoscopy. Data collected will be analyzed to compare the predictive accuracy of EGRI and airway USG, and their correlation with intraoperative airway visualization. Throughout the study, participants will be assessed before surgery using clinical scoring and ultrasound imaging to gather airway data. During surgery, detailed observations on intubation performance will be documented by anesthesiologists. The research team will analyze these measures to determine which preoperative assessment better predicts difficult intubation. This observational study is conducted at a training and research hospital and aims to enhance airway evaluation techniques for bariatric surgery patients.

Predicting Difficult Intubation in Bariatric Surgery: Comparison of El Ganzouri Risk Index and Airway Ultrasound