Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38812631›Full record

ArticleTurkish journal of medical sciences2024

Predicting difficult airway in morbidly obese patients using ultrasound.

Sevim Akin, Mustafa Yildirim, Hakan Artaş, Esef Bolat

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Turkish journal of medical sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07346768 (Ultrasound Assessment of Anterior Neck Soft Tissue Thickness to Predict Difficult Airway Risk in Obese Patients Undergoing for Surgery Under General Anesthesia), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07346768 not yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Ultrasound Assessment of Anterior Neck Soft Tissue Thickness to Predict Difficult Airway Risk in Obese Patients Undergoing for Surgery Under General Anesthesia: an Observational Study

TypeobservationalSponsorGaziantep City HospitalRan2026 to 2026Enrolled52ConditionsUltrasonography, Airway Management, Intubation, Intratracheal, Obesity and OverweightArmsNone (Observational study)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sevim AkinDepartment of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2865-0745
Mustafa YildirimDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6874-9294
Hakan ArtaşDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4462-5953
Esef BolatDepartment of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1678-0502

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background/aim: Difficult mask ventilation and difficult intubation are more common in obese patients. Ultrasound is a reliable and noninvasive method for evaluating the airway. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution and availability of anterior neck soft tissue (ANS) thickness at different levels, tongue volume (TV), hyomental distance (HMD), the ratio of preepiglottic distance to distance between the epiglottis and the midpoint of vocal cords (PE/E-VC) measured by ultrasonography in predicting difficult airway in morbidly obese patients. Materials and methods: Between March 2020 and November 2020, patients aged ≥18 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥40 kg/m2 who underwent elective surgery under general anesthesia were included in this prospective study at Fırat University Hospital. During the preoperative evaluation of patients, ultrasound was used to measure and record TV, ANS thickness at different levels, HMD, and ratio of PE/E-VC. Patients with difficult intubation were identified using the Cormack-Lehane classification system. Patients whohad difficulties with balloon mask ventilation were recorded. Subsequently, the parameters of patients with easy and difficult intubation were compared. In addition, the parameters of patients with easy and difficult mask ventilation were also compared. Results: The preepiglottic ANS thickness at the level of the thyrohyoid membrane and the PE/E-VC value in obese patients with difficult intubation were significantly greater than in obese patients with easy intubation (p < 0.001). In addition, TV (p < 0.001), preepiglottic ANS thickness at the thyrohyoid membrane level (p < 0.001), ANS thickness at the thyroid isthmus level (p = 0.002), ANS-suprasternal notch thickness (p = 0.004), and PE/E-VC (p = 0.005) values were significantly greater in obese patients with difficult mask ventilation. Conclusion: Ultrasound may be a useful tool for predicting difficult airway and difficult mask ventilation. For this purpose, ANS thickness at different levels, PE/E-VC, and TV values measured by ultrasound can be used.

Indexed as

Intubation, IntratrachealObesity, MorbidUltrasonographyAdultAirway ManagementAnesthesia, GeneralFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeckProspective Studiesdifficult airwayintubationneckObesityultrasound

Identifiers

PMID38812631
PMCPMC11031157

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.