BMC anesthesiology
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Meta Analysis
The association of body mass index with difficult tracheal intubation management by direct laryngoscopy: a meta-analysis.
Obesity is a serious disorder and may bring about many difficulties of perioperative management. A systematic review was conducted to assess the association between obesity and difficult intubation. ⋯ Obesity was associated with an increased risk of difficult intubation, difficult laryngoscopy and Mallampati score ≥ 3 in adults patients undergoing general surgical procedures. However, there were no association of obesity and risks of difficult intubation compared with non-obesity in the cohort studies and the elective tracheal intubation, no associated with an increased risk of difficult laryngoscopy in the sniffing position. Future analyses should explore the association of BMI and difficult airway.