Understanding Anesthesiology - The Global Regional Anesthesia ...

Airway assessment
The purpose of the airway assessment is to identify potential difficulties with airway management
and to determine the most appropriate approach. The airway is assessed by history,
physical examination and, occasionally, laboratory exams. Searching for past records indicating
ease of intubation is also an important part of airway assessment.
The key features on physical exam are mouth opening, thyromental distance, neck range-ofmotion,
and Mallampati score. It is also important to assess the predicted ease of bag-mask
ventilation.
It is important to understand that airway examination is imperfect in both its sensitivity and
specificity for predicting ease of intubation by direct laryngoscopy.
Related Glossary Terms
Bag mask ventilation, Difficult airway, Direct laryngoscopy, Intubation, Mallampati classification,
Mouth opening, Neck motion, Pre-operative assessment
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Chapter 1 - Airway Management
Chapter 1 - Airway Management