What is Cormack Lehane scale?

The Cormack-Lehane system classifies views obtained by direct laryngoscopy based on the structures seen. It was initially described by R.S. Cormack and J. Lehane in 1984 as a way of simulating potential scenarios that trainee anaesthetists might face.

What is a Grade 4 airway?

Getting good ‘grades’ If you see the entire glottis after positioning the laryngoscope, that is a Grade 1 Airway. If you have a partial view, that’s a Grade 2. If you can only see the epiglottis, that’s a Grade 3. If you cannot see the epiglottis, that’s a Grade 4, or very difficult.

What is grade 2 on the Cormack Lehane grading scale?

With this scale, a grade I view connotes a full view of the entire glottic aperture, grade II represents a partial glottic view, grade III represents visualization of the epiglottis only, and grade IV represents inability to visualize even the epiglottis.

What is the purpose of Preoxygenation?

Preoxygenation, or administration of oxygen prior to induction of anesthesia, is an essential component of an airway management. Preoxygenation is used to increase oxygen reserves in order to prevent hypoxemia during apnea.

What does Mallampati 4 mean?

A Mallampati score of III or IV is typically indicative of a higher rate of obstruction in airway as a result of enlarged tonsils or adenoids and poor Myofunctional activity (swallowing pattern and tongue position at rest) and tongue-tie.

What is a Grade 4 intubation?

Grades 3 and 4, in which the glottis is not visualized, are considered difficult intubations. The Mallampati score, estimates the size of the tongue relative to the oral cavity and the ability to open the mouth.

What is modified Mallampati score?

The modified Mallampati classification is a simple scoring system that relates the amount of mouth opening to the size of the tongue and provides an estimate of space available for oral intubation by direct laryngoscopy.

What defines a difficult airway?

The difficult airway (DA) has been defined as ‘the clinical situation in which a conventionally trained anesthesiologist experiences difficulty with face mask ventilation of the upper airway, difficulty with tracheal intubation, or both’.