ACCURACY OF MALLAMPATTI SCORE IN COMPARISON TO CORMACK-LEHANE GRADING FOR DIFFICULT AIRWAY PREDICTION

S YOUSUF; U FAROOQ; MM BUTT; MA MUSHTAQ; T MAHMOOD; AR ALAMGIR

doi:10.54112/bcsrj.v2023i1.430

Authors

S YOUSUF Department of Anesthesia, FJMC/Sir Gangaram Hospital Lahore, Pakistan
U FAROOQ Department of Anesthesia, Gujranwala Medical College Gujranwala, Pakistan
MM BUTT Department of Anesthesia, AMS/Lahore General Hospital/PGMI Lahore, Pakistan
MA MUSHTAQ Department of Anesthesia, Primary & Secondary Health Care Department Punjab, Pakistan
T MAHMOOD Department of Anesthesia, University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore, Pakistan
AR ALAMGIR Department of Anesthesia, Aziz Fatima Medical & Dental College Faisalabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54112/bcsrj.v2023i1.430

Keywords:

Mallampatti score; Difficult airway; Endotracheal intubation; direct laryngoscopy; Cormack-Lehane grading

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the accuracy of the Mallampati score in predicting difficult intubation, with direct laryngoscopy being the gold standard. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesia, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore, between June 1 to December 31, 2018. A total of 247 patients who met the selection criteria were enrolled, and their Mallampati score and direct laryngoscopy were assessed to predict difficult intubation. The data was recorded on a proforma and analyzed using SPSS version 21. A 2x2 table was generated to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of the Mallampati score. The mean age of the patients was 38.57±10.14 years, with 41 (16.6%) males and 206 (83.4%) females. The mean BMI of the patients was 27.60±5.90 kg/m2. The results showed that the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy of the Mallampatti score in predicting difficult intubation were 52%, 81.1%, 23.6%, 93.8%, and 78.1%, respectively. These findings suggest that the Mallampatti classification is inaccurate enough to predict difficult intubation in general anesthesia patients.

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