Correlation between modified LEMON score and intubation difficulty in adult trauma patients undergoing emergency surgery

Abstract

Trauma patients may present with a variety of airway difficulties, ranging from promptly recognized to unanticipated difficult airways [6]. [...]most of trauma patients requiring emergency surgery do not have adequate time to undergo full preoperative airway evaluation; thus, they can be at an increased risk of unanticipated difficult airway. [...]comparing with previous report that showed the median value of the LEON score was 1 in both the easy and difficult intubation group [5], our results showed that the median value of the LEON score was 3 in the difficult intubation group and 2 in the non-difficult intubation group. [...]our results showed that limited neck mobility is an independent predictor of difficult intubation; this is in contrast with the results of a previous study that showed the thyroid-to-hyoid distance was not an independent predictor of difficult intubation. The point in the criteria of limited neck mobility may have contributed to a higher LEON score in this study than that reported in the previous study. [...]limited neck mobility, which was found to be an independent predictor of difficult intubation in the present study, may also provide evidence supporting the importance of neck mobility in the airway management of trauma patients. [...]the results of the present study do not reflect patients with very severe and complex traumatic injuries that require immediate airway access. Because we evaluated patients undergoing emergency surgery in the operating theater, patients who underwent immediate tracheal intubation in the emergency department were not included.